


All I Want

by KaysKGWorks



Series: My Love, My Life [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Childhood Friends, Growing Up Together, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:34:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 43,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaysKGWorks/pseuds/KaysKGWorks
Summary: Part one of 'My Love, My Life'They meet and grow, then things fall apart"All I want is nothing moreTo hear you knocking at my door'Cause if I could see your face once moreI could die as a happy man I'm sureWhen you said your last goodbyeI died a little bit insideI lay in tears in bed all nightAlone without you by my side-- All I Want by Kodaline
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Maito Gai | Might Guy, Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Series: My Love, My Life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580182
Comments: 14
Kudos: 44





	1. I Hate You But I Love You - Russian Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi Hatake and Maito Gai meet for the first time and clash immediately

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You were so high above in the sky  
> I just keep feeling like a little child  
> I hate you but I love you  
> I just can't take how beautiful you are  
> I hate to say this but my eyes go blind  
> I hate you but I love you  
> My favorite song becomes a healing sign  
> I hate to say this 'cause my heart goes blind
> 
> \-- I Hate You But I Love You by Russian Red

Gai sits on his father’s shoulders, chin resting on the crown of Dai’s head and arms loosely wrapped around his neck. They are taking what can’t really be described as a _leisurely_ pace on their way down the street, but one can hardly blame their mutual excitement - they’re just a few blocks away from the academy now; just a couple minutes from getting a look at the list of students who’ve been accepted for the year. Gai’s been awaiting the announcement for weeks, asking almost every day if it was time to check.

While he’s walking, Dai kicks a pebble ahead of himself, watching it bounce along until he catches up with it. He’s been making small-talk with his son since they left the house, hoping to calm both their nerves a bit, but it hasn’t exactly been working. He can tell this by the way his son’s legs kick lightly back and forth against his chest - a restless habit that usually means Gai is anxious about something and can’t sit still.

“You’ve been working very hard, haven’t you, Gai?” Dai turns a corner, narrowly avoiding a mother and her son who are likely on their way back home already after checking out the list. It was posted earlier this morning and has been up for a few hours now, but Dai had been on a mission so Gai waited - this is something they intend to do together, so a few hours of waiting was little more than a minor inconvenience. “I’m sure that all that effort will be rewarded!”

“R-Right!” Gai, encouraged by his father’s confident words and smile, sits up a little straighter. It’s true - he’s been running laps around their house recently, and the number of times he trips has been reduced to almost nothing! And he can pretty easily do a proper hand-stand without a wall for support. Sure, it’s still a bit of a toss up on how far he can walk like that without falling over, but it’s still an improvement from where he was at the beginning of the year. He tells himself that it will be enough to get him in, and then he can get even better. One step at a time.

They arrive at the academy shortly thereafter, passing under the archway on their way to the front of the building. There is a tall and wide sheet of paper adhered to the wall and as soon as Gai’s eyes find it his excitement is renewed. He shields his eyes from the sun, trying in vain to make out any of the names from the back of a small crowd clustered around the list, but the print is too small to be legible from any real distance. Dai waits, enduring his son’s enthusiasm with a warm grin as the people in front of them slowly clear out.

Once the pair reach the wall, Gai immediately begins scanning the paper intently, hunting for his name. He ignores the sound of other children nearby, gleefully announcing to their parents or friends that they made it in, simply repeating his own name quietly to himself as he searches. There are quite a few people who’ve passed the entrance exams this year, so it’s a bit of a painstaking process, especially since whoever’s done the list has neglected to put the names in any sort of logical order.

After his first pass with no luck, he resolves to go again, as he simply must have overlooked it in his haste.

There’s Kurenai Yuuhi and Asuma Sarutobi, a pair who probably haven’t spent more than a day apart since they could walk. He spies the names Genma Shiranui, Ebisu Ryoshi, Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha. He even traces his finger down the edge of each column - a trick his father taught him when he was just starting to learn how to read - but it doesn’t seem to be any use. By the end of his second pass, Gai feels tears welling up in his eyes and lowers his head defeatedly.

“My son, search to your heart’s content!” Dai sweeps his own eyes over the list, awaiting his son’s exclamation of joy when he finds his name on it. He is distracted from this task, however, as he feels water droplets hitting the top of his head and looks up. Gai’s tears fall onto his face and run down the sides of his cheeks.

“It’s not there…” Gai is almost trembling as he cries, tears flowing freely out of a growing sense of despair. This morning he was so sure that he’d find his name, and now that he is faced with the idea that he hasn’t made it into the academy, he is crushed - all of that hard work and he still hasn’t been admitted. What more is there that he can do? “My name is nowhere on the list, Papa!”

“Then keep on looking, Gai!” Dai looks up at Gai with unwavering conviction in his voice. “You have worked hard and done everything you possibly could. There is no way all that effort will not be rewarded. Those tears are blurring your vision. You will see your name soon.”

Gai wipes his tears, his father’s enthusiasm contagious as ever. If he believes this strongly that his name has to be on the list, then it surely is. And if it isn’t… No, it must be! Even if he has to go over the list ten, no, twenty more times, he _will_ find the name Maito Gai!

“Yes!”

* * *

_Are you nervous?_ Sakumo thinks to ask, but he keeps the question to himself as he and Kakashi traverse the village streets. It’s a bit later in the day, but they’ve waited to go check the list until now so that they would be less likely to encounter the main flood of people rushing to do the same thing. After all, Kakashi’s never been a huge fan of crowds, and Sakumo has to say that he’s never been big on them either.

They continue on their way toward the ninja academy, hand-in-hand. Every now and then someone will catch sight of Sakumo and stare or lean over to whisper to their companion - he’s grown used to it over time as the title ‘Konoha’s White Fang’ became more renowned… Well, he’s become as close to comfortable with it as he’ll ever be, and that will have to be enough. It’s not long before they reach the academy, and he is able to focus more on the fact that this is an important day for his son.

Sakumo and Kakashi head toward the building, finding themselves among a couple other stragglers. While his son approaches the list, Sakumo hangs back a bit and takes stock of the other parents. He’s never really had many friends in the village, and certainly none who have children of their own. As far as he knows, Kakashi doesn’t socialize much either. However, with school starting soon, he thinks that it might be a good idea to try and change that.

A pair catches his eye - a father with his son, who looks like he can’t be much older than Kakashi. They both have a rather… interesting look going on, but just watching them from a distance Sakumo already gets the sense that they’re probably as safe a choice as anyone. Now he just has to… go over and break the ice - something that has always been one of his _best skills._

He looks down when he feels Kakashi pull on his sleeve, raising his eyebrows expectantly. In response, Kakashi nods passively and says, “I’m on the list. Are we going home now to make miso soup like you said we would?”

Sakumo’s mouth turns up at the corners as he gently frees himself from his son’s grasp to ruffle his hair. “Not quite yet. We have one more thing I want to do before we leave. Is that alright with you? I know it’s one of your favorites, but this should only take a few minutes.”

“Alright,” Kakashi says, almost begrudgingly. It’s a little hard to tell with the mask on, but Sakumo thinks he’s getting better at reading him after several years of practice. “But when we’re done, we head back and start cooking, right? Or else it won’t be done until it’s way past dinner time.”

Sakumo nods his agreement and takes Kakashi’s hand again, then he steels himself and starts walking toward the father and son duo he’s singled out. He can practically feel apprehension radiating from the boy at his side, but he’s made up his mind and doesn’t intend to turn back now - especially since his targets seem to have already taken notice of his approach and are looking right at him. _Well… no retreat, no surrender._

“Hello! Nice to meet you!” Sakumo begins amicably, stopping a polite distance away. His eyes travel from the man to his son and back, both possessing dark hair and dark eyes, and clad primarily in green and red. He quickly decides to cut to the chase - no sense in wasting any time, and he’s not sure how long Kakashi will let him get away with what he’s about to try.. “My son will be attending the academy…”

Kakashi squeezes his father’s hand, immediately full of regret as he realizes what’s happening here. He does _not_ need someone to help him make friends, and even if he agreed to put up with these antics, he has to say that he isn’t exactly on-board with the man’s apparent choice. “Dad…”

Sakumo puts a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder and smiles. He’ll have to prepare some extra special soup to make up for this later, but he definitely doesn’t want his son to start school without any friends, especially when he doesn’t show much interest in making them to begin with. He remembers how lonely that was, and thinks that he’d like to spare Kakashi from ending up in the same boat..“I hope these two will get along okay.”

“I’m afraid that will be impossible!” The man crosses his arms over his chest and closes his eyes. For a moment Sakumo panics, taken aback by his attitude - he certainly wasn’t expecting this sort of response when he chose to approach. Maybe his people skills are a little more rusty than he thought.

“Huh? What a thing to say!” He stops, recalling a tory Tsunade once told him of over-protective parents who are always incredibly selective about who they let interact with their children. To hear her tell it, they’re hell to deal with even outside of her experiences as a medic, so it would be just his luck that he’s chosen one to try and befriend. “Are you one of those monster parents?!”

“No, Dad…” Kakashi looks up at Sakumo with a beleaguered expression, obviously tired of this situation already. He then looks at the other boy, who’s avoiding everyone’s eyes at the moment. Sakumo’s son sighs and says, “You’re wrong. He failed the academy entrance exam.”

Sakumo balks at this, silently bemoaning his apparent misunderstanding of the situation. _Alright, not a monster parent - it’s just actually impossible because his son won’t_ be _in the academy with Kakashi this year. This was a great idea that I had. I should definitely try this more often._

“Oh, pardon me! I just assumed since you were in front of the academy...”

To his credit, the man laughs it off easily, his expression and overall demeanor instantly warming in the face of an honest mistake. Sakumo feels a little tension melt away as he sees that he hasn’t completely ruined any chances of them having a decent conversation. “Don’t worry about it!”

“Uh, I don’t think it’s anything to be laughing about.” Kakashi makes the comment casually and without hesitation, unable to see anything remotely funny about the matter at hand. This kid failed the entrance exam and his father’s just laughing it off like it’s no big deal.

“Hey, Kakashi,” Sakumo warns, looking down at his son with stern eyes. There goes that aloof, nonchalant attitude he’s been developing - something that definitely hasn’t been any help with making or keeping friends. Sakumo’s been trying to curb these tendencies as much as he can, but it can be just a little difficult to help steer the development of your child’s personality and ideals when you’re constantly swamped with high-level missions that keep you away from the village for sometimes weeks at a time. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t exactly brought up with good morals and social etiquette in mind himself, so it’s always been a little touch-and-go from the start. “Don’t be rude.”

“But Dad, you were a lot ruder just a minute ago.” Kakashi glances at his father unapologetically. He’s never really understood people’s tendency to bite their tongues rather than being up front about something. Sure, he knows there are times when diplomacy is required, but in his opinion, this isn’t a subject that really meets the criteria for that. “I mean, this guy is trying to get into the academy even though he can’t use ninjutsu.”

Sakumo sighs, thinking that he should probably have a talk with Kakashi about this when they get home. Just as he’s preparing to offer up an apology, Kakashi pulls on his sleeve and reminds him that they should get going or they’ll be late. He nods, honestly just wanting the encounter to be over with at this point, then dips his head to both members of the other party and says, “R-Right… Excuse me.”

They turn to leave, both deep in thought. Sakumo is busy trying to figure out how the hell he’s going to teach his son the value of having friends to watch your back and how this conversation has been a shining example of how _not_ to make a good impression on someone. Kakashi, however, is wondering why his dad seems to be upset at all - what he just said was the truth, wasn’t it?

“Your name’s Kakashi Hatake, right?”

“Hm?” Kakashi turns back around lazily, just wanting to get home and start dinner. When he does so, he is greeted by the sight of this kid beaming and shooting him a thumbs up, looking as though he’s just received a lovely bit of praise or a warm compliment - the exact opposite of how your average person would be feeling after someone just told them that they’re probably not cut out to be a ninja.

“Thank you for your support!”

Kakashi just stares incredulously, but Sakumo spares him a contemplative glance, taking in certain minute details. His hands are expertly wrapped, so either his father does it for him or he’s had a lot of practice with it already - judging by the angles at which the strips of cloth are positioned, he suspects it’s the latter. Beyond that, the parts of his fingers that are bare seem to be covered in small scrapes; the kind that come from striking a hard object repetitively for long periods of time. He hesitates a moment as the boy and his father move to walk away.

“Kakashi...” he begins, tone level but stern. “Don’t slack off just because you got into the academy.”

Kakashi makes a confused sound, not exactly catching Sakumo’s intended meaning. What’s this about not slacking off all of a sudden? He’s already known as one of, if not _the_ best in the group of kids attending the academy this year, but it’s not like he was planning on dropping his usual training schedule.

“At the rate he’s training, that boy will become stronger than you.”

“He will?” Kakashi finds this a little hard to believe, but his father’s one of the best ninja in the village - it’s quite possible that he knows something his son doesn’t. That doesn’t stop Kakashi from giving him a rather skeptical look. _How would someone who wasn’t even able to pass the academy entrance exam get stronger than me? He’s dead last in our year and can’t even do a proper clone jutsu..._

“They haven’t announced the alternates yet, have they? The academy isn’t dumb. You should ask what his name is and remember it.” Kakashi looks from his father to the other boy and back, scrunching his nose up a little at the idea of having to talk to someone again. In turn, Sakumo places a hand upon Kakashi’s head and smiles warmly. “He’ll be a good rival for you.”

There’s another moment of hesitation before Kakashi relents, turning his back to Sakumo so he can follow this advice. What can it hurt, honestly? If his father turns out to be right, then at least it’ll be a fun surprise down the road, and if he’s wrong, well… It’s no skin off his bones.

“Hey, you!” Kakashi calls out. The father and son stop and turn to face him again, both looking curious as to what more he could have to say. He focuses his gaze on the other boy, sizing him up for a moment and trying to see whatever it is that his father sees. He comes up with nothing, but appearances can often be deceiving. “What’s your name?”

The boy seemingly takes a moment to take in what he’s just been asked, then he smiles and strikes a confident pose. “Maito Gai! I’m going to become stronger than anyone around!”

Kakashi pauses but nods, turning back to Sakumo. He can’t say he believes Gai’s claim, as he hasn’t seen any proof to back it up, but he knows well enough by now that heeding his father’s warning is probably a good idea. Both pairs go their separate ways, neither boy giving in to the urge to look back over their shoulders as they depart.

Once they are a fair distance away and surely out of earshot, Sakumo turns a teasing grin upon Kakashi. “See? Aside from the rough start, I think that went pretty well. With a bit of work, I think the two of you might really have half a chance - so long as you unlearn those bad manners that I’m sure _I_ didn’t teach you. Which of the hounds did you pick that attitude up from, hm?”

Kakashi scowls, ducking out of reach as his father tries lowering a hand to ruffle his hair. This makes Sakumo chuckle and retract his hand, thinking that they can talk about this more over dinner. For now, he watches as his son picks up the pace to walk a little ways ahead of him, head tucked down between his shoulders. _Well, it’s a decent start, at least._

* * *

On the walk home, Gai tries to mentally stave off a wave of disappointment at this whole situation. For one thing, Dai seems to be very confident that things will work out for the best if Gai keeps up with his training. For another, he’s just been asked for his name by Kakashi Hatake, someone who’s supposedly the most promising individual among their generation. To him, it feels almost like an act of recognition and acknowledgement.

“Gai,” Dai starts, holding his son’s hand as they walk down the street, “when we get home, why don’t you help me get dinner started? We can break out that old cookbook and make some curry udon? I made a few stops after finishing my mission this morning and picked up the ingredients. Some home-cooked food will be sure to boost your spirits and give you the energy to continue your training tomorrow, hm?”

At the mention of the cookbook and curry udon, Gai’s mood improves even further - it isn’t very often that his papa breaks out the cookbook, but it has their favorite recipe for the dish. In fact, he can’t remember a time where they’ve ever used a recipe _other than_ that one. He smiles and nods, always more than happy to help with the dinner prep - even if he’s pretty sure that this was originally meant to be a celebratory meal for him getting into the academy - and he definitely doesn’t complain as he’s hoisted up onto Dai’s back before the man takes off as fast as he can go.

The two fly through the village, laughing the whole way home - it’s kind of hard to stay upset with the wind in your hair and the evening sun at your back. By the time they arrive at the house Dai is fairly winded, but he still laughs breathlessly as he lets Gai down on the front steps. Immediately thereafter, he hunches over to take a moment and motions for Gai to go into the house ahead of him.

Gai scurries in and makes a beeline for the kitchen, digging the cutting board out from under the counter. While he’s down there, he also carefully removes a thick old hard-cover cookbook from its usual resting place and sets it on the counter. He still sort of needs the step-ladder to comfortably reach the counter, so he pulls it over and climbs up so he can flip through the pages to find the right recipe. Almost every one he passes has notes scrawled into the margins in various colors of ink, or sometimes pencil, and it’s the same for the curry udon recipe.

_Mom’s handwriting is almost messier than mine,_ he thinks with a little giggle, turning his head to the side as he tries to make sense of the first line. Practically half of the original recipe has been scratched out and replaced, so it’s a little slow going, but he manages to figure out the list of ingredients and gather them all up before Dai makes it inside. He joins Gai at the counter to start chopping and dicing the vegetables and meat - after retrieving a pan to cook everything in, of course. 

Together they make short work of the main tasks, Gai reading the recipe out loud and passing Dai the ingredients in order. Dai, despite knowing this recipe by heart, listens intently to each step as the boy recites them. There’s the occasional correction that has to be made when he misreads a measurement, but it’s a fun and definitely favored pastime for them and they enjoy every moment of it.

After putting the noodles on to boil, Dai announces that he can take care of the last few steps while his son goes to wash up and sit down at the table. He affectionately ruffles his Gai’s hair as he steps down off the step-ladder he’s been perched on, watching him take off before returning his attention to the food. All that’s really left to do is finish cooking the noodles, add some soy sauce, and put it all together, topped with green onions and chili pepper threads.

He takes a moment to glance at the open cookbook on the counter, every dog-eared page a different memory - they tried so many recipes from this book, some of them with better results than others. He honestly sort of loses himself in fond remembrance for a bit, only being brought back to the present as he realizes that the noodles are at risk of boiling over. Hastily, he switches the heat off and takes a moment to collect his thoughts before proceeding.

“Papa, you aren’t burning anything in there while I’m gone, are you?” Gai’s voice calls from the other room, making Dai chuckle. Gai likes to tease him from time to time about his tendency to space out or lose track of things if he’s trying to multitask, which tends to make cooking a somewhat… interesting experience sometimes, full of the potential for unexpected circumstances to arise.

“Everything’s fine!” He prepares two bowls, placing them onto a tray to reduce the chance of him spilling any hot food on his way to the table or burning his hands (both of which he’s done before). They are deposited at the table, one in front of Gai and the other on the opposite side where he plans to sit. Once the table is set and he is seated, he holds a pair of chopsticks out to Gai for him to use.

Gai takes the wooden utensils and separates them from one another, then they both smile and prepare to tuck into their food. Any negativity from the events of the day is pushed far out of mind as they raise some food to their lips. Shortly thereafter, a pair of shouts emanate from the house and echo through the evening air as they both, in their eagerness to start eating, proceed to burn their tongues.

“Ouch!”

“It’s hot!”

* * *

After dinner has come to an end at the Hatake household, Sakumo takes Kakashi’s dishes along with his own and moves to the sink to give them a good wash. He also pretends not to notice Kakashi sneaking scraps to some of the dogs, smiling tiredly as he squeezes a fair amount of soap into a bowl. They haven’t made something that’s really stuck on or even that hard to wash off, so this won’t take long - while he’s taking care of it, he tells Kakashi to go and get ready for bed.

Kakashi nods in agreement, knowing that he probably has an early start to look forward to tomorrow morning if he plans to continue his training regimen. When he and Sakumo arrived home, there was a promise made that his father would try his best to make time to spar with him, and he can’t wait to show off a few new tricks he’s picked up. It’s been a bit longer since they’ve trained together than usual, what with Sakumo being called away from the village on missions so often and there being a war going on.

If things _do_ pan out, and he hopes they will, then this will be the first time in over a month.

He heads into the bathroom with his pajamas folded under one arm to brush his teeth, stepping up onto a small wooden stool so he can see himself in the mirror properly and reach his toothbrush. The mask comes down and he turns on the water, but before he can really start the process he sees the door being nudged open by a wet black nose. Suddenly he isn’t alone in the room anymore as all the dogs clamber in, looking at him expectantly from the floor - they need clean teeth too, after all.

“Alright, alright,” he says, straining to reach the cabinet where they keep the dental treats for the dogs. As soon as the bag is in his hands and he turns around, they all form a single file line in front of him leading out the door. One by one they approach to accept their treat as Kakashi dutifully doles the biscuits out. At the end of the line he stops, frowning at the greyhound looking up at him. “Uhei, I know I already gave you one. Go get it from wherever it’s stashed and eat it. You’ll get another one tomorrow.”

Uhei lowers his head disappointedly and turns to leave, hopefully going to do as Kakashi told him to. Now Kakashi can proceed with brushing his teeth and getting into his pajamas. He closes the door more firmly this time to dissuade any further interruptions and grabs the floss, taking a moment to flash his teeth at himself in the mirror so he can double check that he hasn’t got anything stuck in between them.

Once his teeth are clean and he's changed, he deposits his clothes into the laundry hamper and goes to his room with the intention of climbing into bed to wait for Sakumo to come tell him goodnight. However, it becomes apparent that there’s a bit of a hold-up with this plan when he comes in to find that every single one of the dogs have decided that his bed is where they want to not only pile up for sleep, but also consume their treats. He heaves a sigh, watching _so_ many crumbs falling out of the dogs’ mouths to litter his blanket and sheets.

“You guys all need to scoot over so I can get in! And you’re being messy!” Despite all of them obviously hearing Kakashi’s order, they hardly spare him a glance as they munch and crunch away - it’s pretty obvious that they all still see Sakumo as the leader of the pack. Seeing that they’re not showing any sign of getting down or even moving over, Kakashi rolls up his sleeves and starts toward the bed with a tired but determined expression on his face. _Fine. I guess we’ll do things the hard way._

Five minutes later, Sakumo finishes washing and drying the dishes and wipes his hands off on a dish towel hanging off the front of the stove. He has to go and tell his son goodnight, and then he has some business to take care of before he can go to sleep himself. When he enters his son’s bedroom, he expects to find him already tucked in and ready to head off to sleep; instead, the sight that greets him is that of Kakashi firmly lodged in the middle of a literal dog-pile, having squirmed his way into a small gap at the very center of the tangled mass of canines where he now uses Bull as a large pillow.

Sakumo gives the dogs and his son and amused look, raising one eyebrow curiously. All he gets in reply from Kakashi is a pair of crossed arms as he snuggles a bit deeper into the nest he’s made for himself, so he assumes that it’s the usual issue of the dogs not listening to him when he told them to get out of the way. It might still be a little while before Kakashi gains their full respect and obedience - maybe once he fully masters the summoning technique and can have more one-on-one training with them.

“Well… don’t you look cozy?” Sakumo says, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. Much to Kakashi’s chagrin, Bisuke scampers out of the way immediately to make enough room. He eyes the dog silently for a bit before nodding. Sakumo pats the top of his head, and then goes through the dogs in turn since they look at him like they’re feeling left out. He ends the cycle back on Kakashi, giving him a smile. “Good. Get some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning, alright?”

“Okay. Goodnight, dad.”

Sakumo exits the room, leaving the door open just a crack behind him in case any of the dogs want out in the middle of the night. He’d love nothing more than to go to sleep right now, barely a full day out from his last mission, but he still has some paperwork to look over so he can send it off for approval by the Hokage tomorrow morning. As the de facto leader of his team, he always gets stuck with this sort of thing, but it needs to get done and he isn’t the only one with a family to worry about.

Not long after he sits down at the kitchen table to finish going over the small stack of documents, Sakumo hears a sharp but light tapping noise against a window pane. When he looks over to investigate the source of the disturbance, he spots a messenger bird perched on the windowsill, barely visible in the darkness save for the few parts that are illuminated by the interior lights. With slight trepidation, he rises to let it in and accepts the missive contained within a small container strapped to its leg.

Unfurling the parchment, Sakumo finds that it’s a request from the Hokage - a two-day A-Rank rescue mission that he’s being specifically selected for, should he accept it. The thought of declining doesn’t even really cross his mind, even as it registers the idea that Kakashi will likely be disappointed to find that they’ll have to once again postpone their sparring session they’ve penciled in for tomorrow. However, this is an important task that he’s being given, so he resignedly signs his name on the dotted line and rolls the form back up so it can be returned to its sender.

The bird takes off into the night once more and Sakumo leans against the windowsill, watching it fly away, backlit by stars. War holds its tides for no one, not even a man just trying to care for his son marginally better than his own father cared for him. Before returning to the table, he takes in a deep breath of the night air and lets it out slowly, feeling an all too familiar weight settle onto his shoulders. It’s become a common sensation over the years, and even more so since his wife passed away.

_Well… It looks like we got an imperfect end to an imperfect day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did take a few liberties with the second scene, because I didn't start referencing the actual scene from the anime until after I'd already started writing and I uuuh didn't really feel like having to scrap so much of it so now two scenes that may have canonically taken place on different days no longer do so. Beyond that, I wanted to say that one of my goals for this fic is to title every part and every chapter after a song from the KakaGai playlist I've made, available here:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr6c4338BSOHRHHCOlw-hm6JmLmcUR9no


	2. Whatever It Takes - Imagine Dragons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gai pushes himself to train harder in the hopes of being admitted to the academy as an alternate while Kakashi keeps up with his own training in the spirit of heeding Sakumo's warning about complacency.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looking at my years like a martyrdom  
> Everybody needs to be a part of 'em  
> Never be enough, I'm the prodigal son  
> I was born to run, I was born for this
> 
> \-- Whatever It Takes by Imagine Dragons

The rain is coming down pretty hard, but that isn’t going to stop Gai from working in some training today - he didn’t get nearly as much done yesterday as he was hoping for. Because of that, he plans on making up for it by spending the whole afternoon punching the post Dai set up for him and doing sit ups. A bit of rain is nothing more than an unexpected obstacle that he’s determined to work through. Otherwise, he’ll never meet his goal of five hundred laps around the track to be made an alternate.

It takes a fair amount of concentrated effort to keep from repetitively slipping in the mud, but he manages to do alright. Other than being soaked to the bone, this is actually kind of fun; it’s a warm, late-summer rain that makes the air hazy with mist, so he focuses on that as a positive. He’d be much worse off if this was a cold spring shower, shivering with his muscles all tensed up. With that thought, his focus slips and so does he, landing in a big mud puddle with a loud ‘splat’.

He’s pulling himself back to his feet when he looks up and finds Dai standing under the awning over their front porch, watching him. Gai waves and his father returns a thumbs up to boost his esteem, which is successful - his papa believes in him, so he isn’t about to go letting him down. As he’s about to return to his training, he sees Dai step off the porch into the rain, heading in his direction.

“Gai!” He has to raise his voice a bit to make sure it carries over the sound of fat raindrops hitting the ground and the trees, and the roof of their house. “How close are you to being done? I don’t want to start on dinner if you’re still planning on being out here for another hour - rice tends to be better when eaten fresh rather than cold or reheated.”

“I was hoping to get at least another thirty minutes,” Gai says back while shaking thick globs of mud from his hands. “We don’t know what the weather will be like tomorrow, so I thought it would be a good idea to do what I can today just in case it’s worse than this.”

Dai looks down at Gai, remembering something someone said to him once a long time ago: _Prepare for the worst while still hoping for the best._ He smiles, still surprised by all the little ways Gai is like his mother sometimes without even knowing it. With a determined nod of his head, he raises a fist and declares, “Right! I’ll stay out here to train with you, and afterwards we can go inside together! How about it, Gai?”

The boy’s eyes sparkle with admiration and he nods vigorously, brought back to one hundred percent fighting spirit in an instant. People like to say that Dai doesn’t have any real skill as a ninja, but to Gai he’ll always be the best. Everything he knows, Dai has taught him or at least pushed him in the right direction so he could learn. Having the opportunity to spar with him is everything Gai could hope for, and he moves into the proper stance with hands at the ready.

Dai copies the position and readies himself, waiting for Gai to make a move. Gai obliges shortly thereafter, charging at his father as fast as his legs will allow. Now, whatever people might say about Maito Dai’s taijutsu abilities (or lack thereof), he _is_ skilled enough to fend off an attack from his five-year-old son. Even with the rain and the mud, he manages to jump out of the way, sliding a little as he lands.

Gai spins around, aiming a kick at Dai’s left leg, but Dai blocks it and grabs hold of Gai’s ankle to knock him off balance - this _is_ a sparring match after all, so what’s the point in him not even trying to make Gai aware of the fact that he’s leaving himself open to counterattack with a move like this? Gai just barely manages to regain his footing, stumbling a bit as he rights himself, and Dai gets back into his stance to await the next attempt.

Gai furrows his brows, taking a moment to actually make an attempt at strategizing. After a few seconds of thought, his eyes light up as he gets an idea and decides to try implementing it. He charges right at Dai again, who prepares to react accordingly, but when he’s only a few feet away Gai changes his trajectory and slides around Dai’s side, using the slippery terrain to his advantage. This actually does manage to catch Dai a little off-guard, but he turns to keep Gai in his line of sight and-

“Hey-” Dai’s comment cuts off with a sound of confusion as this pivot leads to him stepping into a four-inch-deep hole in the ground that’s filled with muddy water. He tries to pull his foot out, but finds that it’s firmly stuck up to his ankle. Before he can call for a temporary time-out so he can free himself, he looks up and is immediately greeted by Gai’s foot striking him right in the back of his head. He topples over, face-planting in the mud where he lies immobile for a bit.

Gai panics, thinking that he may have just knocked his father out face-down in the mud and rushes to Dai’s side frantically. Once he’s within range, Dai grabs his son’s ankles and pulls, knocking him flat on his back. Gai winces, lifting his head to watch Dai spit out some mud and start scrubbing the thick mess from his face - a ton of it is in his hair, as well as his mustache and beard, and Gai can’t help but laugh at the sight. Dai joins in and soon both of them are laughing like fools in the rain, covered in mud and loving it.

“Remember, Gai - just because your opponent goes down it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re down for the count. Now,” he manages to scramble into a kneeling position and pry his foot out of the hole, the shoe just barely making it out as well, “I think that both of us could use a hot bath - we look like we just climbed out of a swamp. If I saw you walking down the street toward me, I’d be terrified!”

“You look like a sludge monster,” Gai giggles shaking what he can off onto the ground. A small glob flies off his hand and hits Dai in the cheek, and after a moment of silence Dai flings some back at him. And so it goes that before they go into the house to get cleaned up and dry, the two of them decide: Well, we’re already covered in mud. What’s wrong with a little more in the name of fun?

* * *

About a week-and-a-half after Sakumo was sent on a rescue mission unexpectedly, Kakashi _does_ get the opportunity to train with his father, which is good for him because he hopes to get a proper evaluation of his skills before classes start for the academy in eight days. He wants to know where he can improve and what he really has a good grasp of, even though he has a decent understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses - there’s just something different about having Sakumo give him direct input than working by himself from a scroll or book, or even Sakumo’s written instructions.

Taking Sakumo’s previous advice/warning to heart, Kakashi keeps reminding himself that he can’t get lazy just because he passed the entrance exams. He doesn’t know all that much about the majority of the other students he’ll be training alongside, so one or two of them could surprise him. And even if he _does_ prove to be at the top of his class, it might not stay that way if he gets complacent - which is why he’s taking full advantage of the fact that his father’s finally got enough time to do this.

Kakashi strikes out toward Sakumo’s legs with a hard kick, focusing primarily on taijutsu. He knows logically that the chances of him landing even a single hit on the man are slim to none with the massive difference in combat experience between them, but he still attacks like he really means it. This is a rare chance to show how much he’s improved since their last spar, and he _thinks_ that he’s gotten at least a little faster in that time.

Sakumo evades pretty easily, bobbing and weaving back and forth to avoid Kakashi’s blows. It’s clear to him that his son’s been practicing regularly even without him being there to observe, which is good to know since he’s pretty much been gone more than he’s been around over the past month or two. It seems like he’s being sent out on missions more and more frequently (it sort of comes with the fame he’s accrued over his career), but it really doesn’t make things easier on him, or Kakashi.

Steel flashes in the sunlight as his son draws a kunai from the pouch at his waist - one with a dulled edge, naturally. They started with hardened rubber training weapons and moved up to actual metal once Kakashi was confident in his accuracy and level of prowess, but Sakumo still maintains that weapons should be dulled enough to not bring any real harm to your opponent during a simple bout of training.

Kakashi swipes at him, aiming for an arm and then his midsection, but once again Sakumo manages to dart out of the way (almost like he’s done this a thousand times before against much more seasoned adversaries). When Kakashi lunges and Sakumo side-steps the attack, he takes the opportunity to end their sparring match by sweeping his son’s legs out and pinning his arms behind his back, effectively immobilizing him..

“I think that’s enough for today,” Sakumo determines, releasing Kakashi’s arms so he can stand back up. He shields his eyes with one hand and looks at the sun - it seems to be dipping into the later part of the day and he still has a few errands to run before dinner. Watching Kakashi dust himself off, he puts his hands on his hips and twists from side to side in an attempt to relieve a bit of tension that’s building slowly in the muscles of his lower back. “I have to take care of a few things, and make a quick grocery run since you and the dogs ate most of the food in the house while I was gone.”

“You forgot to get dog food before you left… I had to get creative so they wouldn’t eat stuff they shouldn’t.” Kakashi shakes some dirt out of his hair, looking a bit like a puppy himself as he does so. He and most of the ninken have sort of been raised alongside each other, so it’s natural that they’d have a chance of exchanging habits - though it’s more often Kakashi picking up things from the dogs than the other way around. “Anyway, can I come with you if you’re going into town? I need to get some things for school and-”

“Not this time, Kakashi.” Sakumo grabs his and Kakashi’s bags from where they’ve been sitting under a nearby tree, handing his son’s off to him while slinging his own back over one shoulder. Originally the bags contained packed lunches, water bottles, and training supplies. Now, however, the lunches have been eaten, the water bottles are mostly empty, and most of the shuriken, kunai and other essentials have either made their way back into one of the pouches or still sit embedded in a target or tree branch. “Why don’t you stay out here a little while longer to practice the summoning jutsu?”

Kakashi grumbles something unintelligible under his breath that might be along the lines of a comment about how he’s doing fine with it, but Sakumo declines to respond. He just tosses Kakashi a scroll from his own pack and turns to head out before there can be any further debate - some of his tasks are a little time-sensitive, so he might be late if he doesn’t make haste.

“If you want them to listen to you properly, try strengthening your bond like this first. Then you can move on from there.” Sakumo brushes the last traces of dust off Kakashi’s left shoulder as he passes by, not missing the way his son groans in resignation… or the sound of him flopping back down into the grass and dirt, sort of nullifying all the work that's gone into making himself semi-presentable again.

Kakashi waits until Sakumo’s back disappears among the trees and underbrush to open the summoning scroll, laying it out flat on a dry patch of grass to keep it as neat and tidy as possible. Respecting your summoning contract in any case is just sort of common sense, but it still pays to take care - especially when your main goal is already to gain the trust and respect of the creatures you’re trying to have this bond with in the first place.

This variety of a summoning technique is slightly different from the usual in that the user doesn’t need to produce a blood offering every time the contract is invoked. After a summoner signs with a new member of their pack, they can summon them whenever they like, so long as both parties are in agreement. Kakashi’s still in the process of building a work relationship with the ninken, but since most of them have been around since he was a toddler they tend to see him as more of a sibling or a pup in their care than a potential leader.

That’s why Kakashi needs to practice his summoning more often - he plans on making the hounds a regular part of his arsenal, so they need to better establish that he’s someone with whom they’ll be seeing combat in the future. Sitting in the grass and focusing on the one he wants to bring forth, he forms the hand seals and activates the jutsu. There’s the usual cloud of smoke, and within that cloud of smoke is...

Pakkun.

Kakashi and Pakkun look at each other silently for a moment or two before Kakashi lets out a quiet sigh - he was trying to focus on one of the more combat-oriented dogs like Bull so they could practice some synchronized attacks or something. Evidently, he still needs to hone his ability to focus more intently, as this is definitely _not_ one of the hounds he’d choose to bring into battle. Pakkun’s a great dog, no doubt about that - he’s just so… soft and little, and much better suited for tracking than direct confrontation.

The miniature pug mimics Kakashi’s look of borderline disappointment flawlessly, then gets up and starts circling the clearing, sniffing up a storm as he explores. Every now and then he’ll stop to sit and scratch behind his ear with a hind leg or mark a tree, but Kakashi just lets him wander a bit while he focuses on summoning one of the other dogs. What’s the harm in letting Pakkun stretch his legs a bit now that he’s here? Kakashi can just close his eyes and let his mind settle so he can try this again.

This doesn’t last very long as the rustling of underbrush and furious snuffling of a pug on the attack derail his train of thought. He opens his eyes slowly and turns to see what the hell Pakkun’s getting himself into, watching as the little dog menaces a cat that was sneaking around the perimeter of the clearing. Before Kakashi gets the chance to tell Pakkun to knock it off and leave the cat alone, both of them scamper off into the forest, engaging in a spirited chase.

“Hey!” Kakashi leaps to his feet and takes off after them, worried that Pakkun could really get himself into some big trouble if his quarry decides it’s had enough of being chased and turns to face him. He calls for Pakkun to come back, to no avail, and marvels at how fast he is for such a little thing. If Kakashi ever _does_ end up taking the pug out onto the battlefield, it might not even matter that he’s not built for fighting - their opponent would probably have a hard time just catching him.

By the time Kakashi finally catches up, they’ve made it all the way through the woods, into the village, and ended up at the academy. They’ve left a minor amount of destruction in their wake, taking the form of some spilled produce, a crooked fence post, and a single overturned potted plant that Kakashi plans to fix on his way home. Now though, he’s more focused on snatching Pakkun up before this goes on further - he’s still supposed to be training, but instead he’s expending a bunch of energy chasing these two around.

He finds Pakkun and the cat facing off beneath a tree just outside the fence of the track. The cat arches its back and hisses at the dog, and then at the boy as he approaches to try and rein Pakkun in. Kakashi ignores the petty, instinctual urge to hiss or growl back, instead lifting the pug into his arms long enough for the cat to slink off with its fur sticking out in every strange direction. He holds Pakkun at arm’s length for a minute, lamenting his penchant for making _and_ finding trouble.

“Was all this really necessary?” Kakashi doesn’t really expect an answer - Pakkun’s still sort of cross with him for a small number of slights over the past month. Among the items on this list is a time when Kakashi accidentally kicked him out of bed in the middle of the night, along with an hour delay on him getting home from training to feed them while Sakumo was gone, thus causing a small upset to their schedule. It’s for these reasons that Pakkun seems to be giving him a bit of the silent treatment, and acting out apparently.

As Kakashi goes to try and backtrack to where the plant got knocked over during the chase, he finally catches sight of Maito Gai running laps with a banner flowing from his shoulders and back that reads, ‘If I run 500 laps I’ll be accepted as an alternate’. He doesn’t know how long this has been going on for, but either it’s been a while or this kid’s looking really worn out after a little light training.

It seems like there are a couple other observers of this spectacle - particularly two pairs of boys around the same age as Kakashi and Gai. From his position behind the tree, Kakashi is far enough away from them that his arrival seems to have gone unnoticed, but close enough that he can overhear their conversation as they watch Gai exhaustedly start another circuit.

“He cannot perform ninjutsu or genjutsu at all,” a boy wearing dark glasses complains with a frown. He, like the others, seems rather unimpressed by Gai’s actions, though he does look and sound just the slightest bit concerned as he watches - reasonably so, because Gai begins to slow down as he finds himself gasping for breath. “The only thing he has going for him is to move his body around.”

“That may be so, but he looks ready to drop.” His companion chews on a toothpick with crossed arms, looking like he expects Gai to give up any minute now. That isn’t exactly what happens, but Gai’s training _is_ brought to a premature end as he ends up tripping over his own feet and falls to his knees. The banner crumples up behind him and he sits there trying desperately to catch his breath. Laughter comes from the other pair and one of them exclaims rather loudly about how Gai isn’t even halfway done.

Kakashi sets his eyes on Gai as the onlookers keep crowing and laughing up a storm, seeing his frustration as he tries and fails to get to his feet - his legs are so tired from running that they refuse to work properly. There are tears his eyes and dust in his hair, and he looks pretty miserable. It takes a couple more attempts before he’s able to stand up and start slowly walking off the track, the sounds of mockery following him as he leaves.

Pakkun squirms around in Kakashi’s arms, demanding his attention. He looks down, suddenly remembering what he was planning on doing before he got distracted, and starts walking to go fix his and Pakkun’s mess. Just before he turns a corner and loses his line of sight on the track, Kakashi risks a glance over his shoulder, but Gai’s already disappeared beyond the fence. Pakkun grumbles at Kakashi again, threatening to squirm right out of his grasp, so he continues on his way and pushes the thought out of his mind.

“Fine, we’re going. Jeez…”

* * *

It takes a few minutes for Kakashi to find the right garden, as he was pretty distracted when they originally came through it - the task of chasing Pakkun down before he could get himself hurt sort of took precedence - but he does eventually manage to backtrack his way over. He fixes what damage he can along the way, straightening the fence post and... Well, okay, he decides to simply avoid the owner of the fruit stand because the guy looks pretty bent out of shape about a couple of bruised apples, but he _does_ repair anything else he notices.

By the time he reaches the garden, Pakkun's growing restless again - he's not overly fond of being carried around like one of those little dogs fancy women keep in their purses. Kakashi finally relents and puts him down, only after establishing that he has to be on his best behavior in front of the woman while they're re-potting her plant. They pass through the unlocked gate into the garden and Kakashi opens his mouth to start offering the apology he's been preparing in his head on the walk over. However, before he can get the first three words out, he sees that someone's already sort of beaten him to the punch.

A boy with short, spiky black hair is kneeling beside the pile of spilt dirt and leaves, gently scooping handfuls of soil back into the terracotta pot while an elderly woman looks on fondly. She and Kakashi meet eyes when she's in the middle of a sentence and she pauses, leading to the other boy turning his attention to Kakashi as well. With all eyes on him, Kakashi hesitates before dipping his head slightly to the lady of the house.

"S... Sorry about your plant... I was chasing my dog down, and he ran through the gap at the bottom of your fence. It got bumped when I leapt over to go after him." The woman looks at Pakkun, who is suddenly the picture of innocence, and smiles. "I came back to see if there was anything I could do to fix it..."

"That's very responsible of you, young man," she says in a quiet, creaky voice. Then she looks to her helper and laughs a little, eyes crinkling up at the corners. "Obito, you wouldn't say no to a little help with this, would you? I think it will go much faster if there are two pairs of hands on the job, and you'll be able to make it home in time for supper. I know your mother gets cross with you when you're late, and I'd hate for you to get scolded because you stopped to help me out."

Obito looks from Kakashi to the woman and nods in agreement, then scoots over a bit to make room for Kakashi to kneel down beside him. Kakashi walks over and settles in, and they both proceed to replant the ficus. It's a bit of an awkward setup, as they keep bumping hands or elbows with each other and there's still dirt getting all over their clothes, but the work _does_ get done a lot quicker with the two of them working together, even if it is a somewhat reluctant partnership.

After they've finished and patted down the dirt, the old woman hobbles up to them and holds her closed hands out, prompting them to accept whatever it is that she's holding. She deposits a piece of hard candy into each boy's palm, closes their fingers over the treats, and pats their hands thankfully. Then she pinches their cheeks in that grandmotherly sort of way. Kakashi gives her a forced but polite smile back, even though she can't see it aside from the slight change in his eyes, and dips his head again as they are both released and dismissed.

Obito waves back to her as he and Kakashi depart, still covered in an astounding amount of dirt. Like, a disproportionate amount of soil for the job they just did. He waits until they've disappeared from her view to unwrap his piece of candy and pop it in his mouth, then looks at Kakashi from the corner of his eye. It's an assessing look, like he's trying to get a good impression of what kind of person Kakashi is - they didn't really speak to each other at all while they were working, so he's not exactly sure who he's dealing with here.

"You're Kakashi, right?" He waits for a response, but none seems to be forthcoming. The most he gets is a sideways glance as he continues walking alongside Kakashi - they seem to be heading in the same direction for now - but he decides to take it as a 'yes' and keeps talking around his candy. "I think we're gonna be in the same class at the academy this year. My name's Obito Uchiha, and-"

Obito stops talking as Kakashi practically shoves his hand toward him, brandishing his unopened piece of candy. He looks down at it, then back to Kakashi, who seems to be waiting somewhat impatiently for him to take it. As soon as he puts out his open palm to accept it, Kakashi drops it into his hand and continues walking, followed by his dog. The pug glances at Obito as it passes by, then scurries after the other boy until it's walking right at his side.

"H-Hey! You don't want this?" Obito just stands there dumbly as Kakashi walks away. The silver-haired boy doesn't look back or even break his stride to respond, obviously holding no real interest in continuing this conversation. It makes Obito bristle a little as his attempt at getting to know him is so casually shut down.

"I don't care for sweet things - if I didn't give it to you, it would probably just end up getting thrown away." Kakashi turns down a side street, leaving Obito to stare after him in quiet disbelief - he's tired of dealing with people and problems today, and would much rather return to that clearing in the woods to squeeze in a little extra training before the day's end. He definitely doesn't have time to waste on such meaningless chitchat with some boy he just met, and he's sure that once classes start up they'll have plenty of opportunities to become friends or whatever, when he isn't busy with something else.

On his way back to the forest with Pakkun, Kakashi catches sight of a familiar figure talking with a street vendor while buying some vegetables. He's debating on whether or not he should go over and get the man's attention, but before he can decide, the choice is made for him - Sakumo spots his son standing by the side of the road and motions for him to come closer so they can talk.

Kakashi and Pakkun brush past several people in their way over to Sakumo, and as they move closer the state of Kakashi's overall appearance becomes clearer to him. Kakashi's hands, knees, and even a bit of his face at smudges with dark planter soil, while Pakkun seems to be trying to shake some off his paws with every step.

"Now... I'm fairly certain that you weren't anywhere _near_ this dirty when I left, so something clearly happened between now and then." He squats down so he's closer to eye level with his son, looking back and forth between the two of them for some sort of an explanation. His gaze settles on Pakkun suspiciously as he asks, "Did one of you go digging in somebody's tulip bed again?"

"It was one time when I was a pup," Pakkun growls, wrinkling his nose at the memory and at the accusation. He then grumbles about how he'll never be able to live it down, and something about how the bulbs didn't even taste good. Seeing that the pug seems to be fairly innocent in the matter, Sakumo turns his attention to Kakashi.

"So... Pakkun started chasing a cat-" he ignores Pakkun's protests about how it was supposedly a _suspicious_ cat, "- and I chased after _him_ to make sure he wouldn't get hurt. Along the way, we ran through someone's yard and knocked over a plant, so I went back to fix it afterwards. I guess I got a little dirty while we were putting everything back in."

"We?"

"Yeah. There was some kid already helping her by the time I got back, so we both ended up working on it. He kept bumping elbows with me, and he got even more dirt on him than I did. Pakkun got some on his paws because he was pacing around while we were doing that, and he ended up walking right through some of it."

Sakumo blinks, a bit surprised to learn that Kakashi not only went back to fix the problem he and Pakkun created, but that he also worked alongside someone to accomplish the task. He smiles, glad to hear that his son might not be so bad off. There's no telling whether or not he managed to do either or both without coming off as rude, but it's good enough for him that it sounds like there weren't any fights breaking out.

Little victories, Sakumo. Little victories.

"Well, I'm proud that you tried to do the right thing." He stands back up and finally takes his change from the stall operator, then gets a thoughtful look on his face. "You know, I'm making pretty good time on these errands. Since you're already here, I think we _might_ be able to squeeze in a quick trip to pick up the things you need for school. What do you say?"

Kakashi brightens at the opportunity to not only get what he asked for but to also spend more time with his dad. It makes Sakumo chuckle and he extends a hand to Kakashi, which is immediately accepted. As he's practically dragged away down the street, he waves a hasty farewell to the man he was just doing business with.

Kakashi knows that he needs to be able to take notes (even if he probably won’t need the notes themselves), so that means paper and pencils. He’s also been wanting to grab a few blank scrolls that he can use for practicing some simple sealing techniques - if he already has a head start on so much of the stuff they’ll be teaching at the academy, then he might as well keep it going. Those might have to wait until another day since it's getting late and they aren't really essentials, but he's just glad to be doing this today at all.

Sakumo is, as usual, amused by Kakashi’s sudden burst of enthusiasm and initiative. Every now and then, his son gets really invested in something and becomes determined to see it through - it’s rare, but whenever he notices it happening it brings a smile to his face. He thinks it’s a nice change of pace from the casual stoicism Kakashi tends to project, and always does what he can to support him.

They enter a small store that sells all kinds of things, from the blank tags used in making paper bombs to reusable pairs of chopsticks. As soon as they walk in, the woman behind the counter stands up a bit straighter and smiles broadly, mostly at the sight of Sakumo. They’ve been here once or twice before, so she would easily recognize Sakumo even if he _wasn’t_ famous. Sakumo smiles back for a moment before turning his attention to Kakashi.

“Do you want me to come with you, or would you prefer to pick things out on your own?”

“I think I’ve got it handled. You go make a friend.” Kakashi ignores the somewhat dismayed look Sakumo gives as he turns the man’s own advice against him, instead turning down an aisle in search of the things he needs. Pakkun parks himself over in front of the counter to receive some attention from the shop owner, followed reluctantly by Sakumo.

Kakashi leisurely scans the shelves for pencils and a notebook, hands shoved into his pockets as he moves along. He can hear Sakumo striking up some polite conversation with the woman at the counter, who he thinks is named Hitomi. There’s talk of a package she’s holding for him, and the sound of her moving into the back room to hunt it down, followed by her semi-muffled voice as she continues chatting even as she walks away.

Just as he turns to head down the next aisle, Kakashi spots the selection of spiral-bound notebooks moves closer to examine them. While sorting through the pile, looking for one that doesn’t come in some type of neon pink or blue, he gets to the patterned covers and stops up short as he unearths one that is covered in dogs. He naturally gravitates toward it, but considers the potential repercussions of starting classes with a _puppy_ notebook. But still…

_It’s cute…_

He makes the decision to ask Sakumo if he can get this one _and_ a less conspicuous number with a dark blue cover, then grabs a pack of unremarkable pencils off a shelf across the way and heads back up toward the counter. When he gets up there, he finds Sakumo still engaged in conversation and walks up alongside him to wait for either adult to notice he’s there. The woman spots him first and gives a little wave that he barely registers while handing his selection of goods over to Sakumo.

“Both, huh?” he asks, looking from the pair of notebooks to Kakashi. He’s not really caught off guard by the extra item being thrown in, but the patterned cover does give him a moment of pause - it’s so… _adorable._ One of the dogs even kind of looks a bit like Pakkun. Seems like his son is just _full_ of surprises today.

“The blue one for class notes and the other for anything else.”

“Really?” the woman behind the counter chimes in, taking the items as Sakumo hands them over to be rung up. She admires the design with a soft smile before processing their purchases. “If it was _me_ making the choice, I think I’d go with the cute one for my notes - give myself a little boost of happiness every time I had to take it out of my bag and get some work done. Plus, you can’t deny that it’s a bit of a conversation-starter, right?”

 _That’s what I’m afraid of,_ Kakashi intones, eager to leave. Hitomi is one of those relentlessly positive people with a personality so bright it can be a bit off-putting to someone who’s not so used to it, and Kakashi - a natural introvert - is especially prone to being overwhelmed by such a person. He side-steps a bit closer to Sakumo as the man thanks her for her service and gathers the pair of bags containing their things.

Kakashi leads the way out of the store, Pakkun trotting right alongside him. While they’re walking, Sakumo hands Kakashi’s bag over before taking a peek in _his_ bag to check out the item he picked up and gets a kind of funny look on his face. He removes a slip of paper from within its confines and holds it up so he can read whatever it says.

“What’s that?”

“Hm?” Sakumo glances at Kakashi before smiling and shoving the paper with Hitomi’s name and address on it into his pocket. “It’s nothing - it just looked like she misspelled something on the receipt, but I think my eyes are just in desperate need of some rest. When we get home, I might end up taking a nap before we cook dinner, That sounds pretty good to me right about now.”

Kakashi gives his father a mildly suspicious look, but then he decides that he doesn’t really feel like digging into whatever the paper _really_ says. Sakumo isn’t the only one who feels like he could use a nap, and he’s pretty sure that if it was anything actually worth explaining then Sakumo would take the time to do so. Pakkun runs on a short distance ahead, leading the way home.

On their way down the street, all three of them happen to overhear what sounds like a pair of men fighting. It wouldn’t be too out of place for a brawl to go down in a secluded back street or alley, but as they reach the intersection and catch sight of the scuffle in question, they find that it isn’t exactly what they suspected - the target of the attack seems to be a familiar boy with dark hair and thick eyebrows. Two grown men are taking turns really laying into him with no mercy, looking like they actually find this situation amusing as they also laugh about how Gai’s father is hardly fit to call himself a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village..

Before Sakumo has a chance to do anything, Kakashi holds his bag out to be taken, evidently intent on taking care of this himself. He obliges, accepting the bag into his hands before watching his son charge down the street toward the three people who don’t seem to have even noticed their arrival.

Kakashi goes flying through the air to kick one of the men in the face and the other immediately after, knocking them away from Gai. To finish one off he delivers two punches and a swift kick to his face, knocking him out cold. The other one tries to sit up, but Kakashi slams his foot into the guy’s face and he immediately joins his friend in dreamland.

For a minute, Gai just stares up at Kakashi from the ground in disbelief. Kakashi glares at the two unconscious chuunin venomously, but soon turns his gaze upon Gai. It hasn’t escaped his notice that neither of the men had a single scratch on them before he showed up to take them out, which means that Gai, despite his claims of grandeur and Sakumo’s prediction about him becoming stronger than his own son, the boy wasn’t able to fight back even a little as two men berated his father right in front of him.

“I can’t believe you couldn’t return a single punch after what they said about your father…” Kakashi tries to imagine what he would do to someone if they ever dared to speak about Sakumo that way and just the thought is enough to piss him off something fierce. Rather than say anything further on the matter, Kakashi runs back to where his father still waits for his return at the end of the street and leaves Gai to stand up on his own two feet.

“Good job…” Sakumo says as his son approaches. Kakashi reflexively reaches out a hand to him, expecting the man to offer his own in return. However, Sakumo’s praise is accompanied by a pinched look that conveys some very conflicting emotions and his hand stays firmly planted in his pocket. “Though I think you could have done without the last part, if we’re being honest.”

With that, Sakumo turns to continue walking down the street as he sees Gai is capable of standing, leaving Kakashi hanging. After a moment’s hesitation, Kakashi puts his hand in his pocket and follows, realizing that his father is somehow both proud of him _and_ slightly disappointed. He lowers his head a little, unsure of how to feel about this kind of a reaction.

_I don’t get it… What did I do wrong?_

* * *

Gai wobbles to his feet unsteadily, arms and legs aching from where the men’s blows landed. He’s sure that there will be bruises later and experimentally lifts a hand to touch his bottom lip, wincing upon contact. When he pulls the hand away to examine his fingers, he finds them smeared with a pretty generous amount of blood. As he watches, a few more drops of the crimson liquid drip down his chin and land in his cupped palm. He just stares, but it doesn’t show any signs of stopping and he eventually resigns himself to the fact that he’ll have to go home and explain to his papa what happened.

Covering his mouth with one hand and leaning forward a bit to try and minimize the amount of blood on his clothes, he starts home. Tears sting his eyes, but he valiantly resists the urge to cry. The physical pain aside, he is more upset over the fact that he failed to stand up to the people who insulted his father, and silently mortified that Kakashi had to come to his rescue. It was bad enough hearing him explain to Sakumo how he failed to get into the academy, but now he’s been brought face-to-face with just how far apart they are in skill.

_And after what I said about becoming the strongest, too…_

Gai takes back alleys and forest paths as much as he can on the way home, dragging his feet a little as he thinks about how he should explain this to Dai. Honesty is usually the best policy, but he doesn’t know if his father will be upset with him for instigating a fight with two grown men. Not to mention the fact that he couldn’t even back his words up with action and had to sit back while someone else took care of it.

Before he knows it, his feet have led him down the familiar path to his and Dai’s house on the outskirts of the village. At present, the windows all seem to be propped open and the smell of something cooking wafts out into the open air - Dai must be busy cooking something on his day off, probably waiting for Gai to come home so they can eat and further discuss his training plan. Gai steels himself as he reaches the front steps, then hesitantly slides the door open and steps inside.

“Gai!” his father calls from the kitchen, sounding upbeat and exuberant like usual. Gai can now hear the sound of something sizzling away in a pan and the aroma he picked up outside grows stronger. “I’m in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the tempura. I don’t want to leave the stove unattended and end up burning the food and/or the house down, so would you mind running out to the garden to pick some daikon? It really slipped my mind that I would need any, so I-”

Dai’s voice cuts off as he peeks around the corner to set eyes on his son, never having been a fan of talking to someone he can’t see - he prefers to have a conversation face-to-face. Now that he sees the state Gai’s in, lip still dripping red into his palms and dirt in his hair, he drops what he’s doing (specifically the tongs he’s been using to stir the tempura) and rushes over to more closely examine him for any further injuries.

“It’s… not really that bad. At least, not as bad as it probably looks,” Gai says quietly, eyes glued firmly to the floor as Dai smoothes back his hair to check for more blood, cuts, bruises, et cetera. He really means it when he says this doesn’t feel so bad - the throbbing pain that started up in his lower lip on the way home has already started to subside, and though he’s pretty sure he might end up with a black eye, it won’t be the first he’s ever had. “I think I just need a bandage or two, and to wash up so…”

_So there’s not so much blood everywhere…_

“No, I’m taking you to the hospital right now!” Dai looks like he’s trying really hard not to panic as he sweeps Gai up into his arms. He whips his head around as he realizes that he needs something to help reduce the flow of blood or at least to keep it relatively contained, and he rushes into the kitchen to grab a clean hand towel from the junk drawer. The towel getting stained red is the furthest thing from his mind right now, so he doesn’t hesitate to deposit it into Gai’s hands. “Hold this under your chin on the way - it’ll be better than using your hands and should be alright until we can get you checked out.”

Not wasting another second, Dai charges out of the house with Gai held tight to his chest. A few moments later, he scrambles back into the house at Gai’s behest to turn the stove off so nothing will get burnt or catch on fire while they’re away. Then he makes a beeline for the hospital, moving based on pure parenting instinct that he’s honed over the past five years of raising a somewhat accident-prone son.

“How did this end up happening exactly?” Dai asks as he runs, dodging people left and right as they reach some of the more active areas of the village. He waits for a response, but it quickly becomes clear that Gai’s feeling a bit hesitant to tell him - which he takes to mean that this wasn’t a simple accident. The explanation can wait until after he makes sure that his son won’t require any stitches or other professional medical attention, but he _will_ get to the bottom of this one way or another.

Dai bursts through the front doors of the hospital, drawing the attention of several personnel in the waiting room and behind the reception desk. Luckily it seems to be a slow day, so there’s a nurse motioning for him to follow her to an available observation room before he can even manage to form a full sentence. He trails after her anxiously, answering her questions to the best of his ability. When they enter the room, he hesitantly relinquishes his hold on Gai to set him up on the table, still hovering as close by as he can without getting in the nurse’s way.

"I'm fine, really," Gai says into the cloth that he still has gingerly pressed against his bottom lip. The nurse holds her hand out expectantly, waiting for him to hand it over so she can get a better look at what she's dealing with here. He looks from her to Dai, who gives him the same look of anticipation, so he reluctantly removes tag rag and deposits it into her freshly gloved hand. She lets out a gentle hiss at the sight of Gai's split lip and produces a container of sterile wipes from one of the room's cupboards.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up a bit. This might sting, but compared to whatever caused these injuries, it'll be nothing. " She draws one from the package and raises it to Gai's cheek, but waits before continuing. "I promise to be as gentle as possible, and as fast as possible, too. It'll be over before you know it, and then you can pick out a sticker or a piece of candy if you want. Sound like a deal you'd be willing to take?"

Gai nods bravely and squeezes his eyes shut in apprehension, bracing himself for the burning to set in. It does sting a little, just like she said, but everything else she told him proves true as well. She's finished in less than two minutes, after which she stands back to look him over again.

"Well, now I can see you much better without all that mess on your face." She tosses the wipe into a trashcan in the corner of the room, freeing up both of her hands to start applying some antibacterial cream and bandages to the mid-tier wounds - mild scrapes and abrasions on his face and hands, mostly. When she's about done, she turns her attention back to his bottom lip, which is still oozing a small amount of blood stubbornly. "Now, you're not going to like this next part - I think you might need a couple stitches for that."

This catches both Gai and Dai off guard and they simply stare at her for a moment. Gai doesn't know what to say, having genuinely thought that the worst of his injuries would require little more than a bit of time to get better, maybe with a little help from some healing ointment. He's never had stitches before, but he knows that they're really only used for wounds that might have trouble healing on their own. The nurse turns toward Dai to address him for a bit, leaving Gai to wonder if he's actually that bad off.

"I'm going to get a doctor so we can get a second opinion on that, and then we can move on from there. Has he ever had stitches before?" Dai shakes his head silently, pretty much at a loss for words. "Right, well if it comes to that, we can walk him through it, and you can obviously stay in the room with him for support. It looks like it'll be an easy enough fix, so it would probably take somewhere around ten to fifteen minutes. I'll be back shortly, alright?"

Without waiting for him to answer, she walks out of the room and closes the door behind her. Dai and his son are alone in the room, in this silence. Eventually Dai turns to Gai with his hands on his hips, looking to all the world like a man on a mission. Gai knows that he needs to give a proper explanation as to what happened for him to have ended up in such a state, but he's still no closer bring being ready that he was when he walked into the house.

None of that matters though, because Maito Dai has set his heart on getting the truth about this situation, and once he becomes determined to see something through to the end, there's very little that can be done to deter him. This case is no different, as he _will_ find out who hurt his sin, and why/how anyone could bring themselves to do such a thing.

_Gai..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm putting a lot more in here about Dai and Sakumo than I originally expected I would, but I'm enjoying just writing them interacting with their sons  
> 2\. I know that in canon Kakashi finds it real hard to believe all of Obito's excuses for being late, so it might seem a bit of an odd choice to have him witness the truth of this matter right from the start (also I have no idea if the canon shows their first meeting or not so rip I guess) but I thought this would be cute and sort of lend to Obito's impression of Kakashi being a bit of a jerk  
> 3\. Despite my best efforts I wasn't able to get this out before midnight, but I hope the fact that it's over eight thousand words makes up for it being like ten minutes late. Happy New Year 2020!


	3. We're Going to be Friends - Jack Johnson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fall is here, hear the yell  
> Back to school, ring the bell  
> Brand new shoes, walking blues  
> Climb the fence, books and pens  
> I can tell that we are going to be friends  
> \--  
> We Are Going to be Friends - Jack Johnson

Eight days come and go, and the first day of class arrives. For Kakashi, it starts like most days - aside from the act of packing himself a lunch to bring along. Sakumo sits at the table, going over some reports he’s been asked to review and nursing a scalding cup of coffee with a bowl of okayu on the side. He looks up every now and then to check if his son needs help with anything, though it’s a well-established fact that Kakashi is relatively self-sufficient, especially for a four-year-old.

When he’s satisfied with the food that sits at the bottom of his brown paper bag, Kakashi goes back to his room to make doubly sure that he has everything else he might need for class stowed away in his pack. The pencils and blue notebook are neatly tucked into the middle pouch, while the dog-patterned one has been relegated to the upper right-hand corner of his nightstand where it will definitely stay for the foreseeable future.

There are a few other odds and ends that he brings along just in case, then he zips the bag up and throws the strap up over his head. One or two of the dogs raise their heads from the pile, but for the most part they remain immobile and simple whine quietly at the concept of spending an entire day without Kakashi around. There’s only been a small handful of times since Kakashi was born that he’s been away from home for even close to this long. It’s new and unfamiliar, and they really don’t seem to like the idea.

Kakashi shoots them a lingering glance as he stands in the doorway and a couple of them wag their tails, looking almost hopeful that he might forget the whole thing and their normal schedule could proceed like nothing’s changed. However, it’s about time for him to be going so he has to simply give them a little wave and leave the room to pick up his lunch and bid his father farewell.

Sakumo looks up from his papers once more as Kakashi walks back through, watching him grab the packed lunch and slip it into the outermost layer of his bag. He takes a careful sip of his coffee, still holding off on the rice porridge to avoid messing up these important documents. “You know, I can spare some time to walk to the academy with you, if you want?”

“I’ll be alright,” Kakashi assures him. He makes sure that everything is packed and zipped up before checking the time. There’s still technically five to ten minutes before he really has to leave, but he thinks it might be better to get there a little early so he can find a good seat. “I’ll be back later. If you really have time for a break, then you should use it to finish your breakfast before lunchtime rolls around.”

Sakumo smiles and wishes his son good luck, finally taking a spoonful of his okayu and raising it in Kakashi’s direction. The boy waves back over his shoulder and walks out the door, leaving Sakumo to finish his work, and his meal. Sometimes he thinks that his father really would forget to feed himself or get any decent amount of rest if he wasn’t around to pester him about it from time to time.

Kakashi heads down the road, following the now familiar route to the ninja academy. Along the way, he runs into a few other students who’ve decided to stop along the side of the road to try and catch a rather wily toad in some tall grass. He barely spares them a glance as he walks by, but he notices that they all pause to watch him pass. None of them try to wave him down, and they don’t abandon their pursuit of their amphibious prey, so Kakashi feels a bit of relief because he doesn’t really feel up for being interrupted on his way.

When Kakashi reaches his destination, he wastes no time heading inside. He doesn’t see many other students here yet, and assumes that most of them are probably not overly concerned about showing up early. This all works with his plan to have as many seating options available to him as possible, so he’s not exactly complaining. Once he’s claimed a spot, he assumes it will be easier to deter anyone from trying to sit directly next to him.

Outside the classroom, Kakashi spots a piece of paper taped to the wall by the door - the class list, including the alternates. Usually, he’d pay the list not mind, more concerned with just entering the room and getting settled in. But a sudden, irresistible spark of curiosity drags his gaze toward the three names scrawled on the page, and one in particular catches his eye. For a moment, he recalls a boy with dark hair and a brilliant smile, followed by two men and a fight.

Kakashi tears his eyes away and enters the classroom, readjusting the strap on his shoulder to keep it from slipping or digging into his skin. There are only three other people who’ve shown up this early, and Maito Gai is one of them. There’s a brief moment where the two catch sight of each other, but then Kakashi turns his attention elsewhere, taking stock of the seating arrangement to pick a spot. Gai’s gaze lingers, but he, too, eventually returns his focus to whatever he’s scribbling in his notebook.

Over the next several minutes, more students begin filtering into the room, most of them choosing to sit by people they’re already familiar with. A few of them seem interested in coming to sit by Kakashi, but they all end up deciding against it, intimidated by the idea of trying to befriend someone who looks one hundred percent disinterested in the concept right now. After pretty much everyone has come in and found their seats, there is a noticeable lack of people to either side of him.

The room doesn’t immediately calm down when the teacher walks in, people chatting happily with their friends both new and old about how excited or anxious they are to get started. The man calls loudly for everyone to return to their seats and stop talking so he can begin, and everyone obeys right away. Well, more or less - there  _ is  _ a bit of reluctance from a few students who find themselves across the room from their conversational partner, and they slink back to their tables disappointedly.

Kakashi tunes everything out for the most part, letting his mind wander. As the teacher goes over a bit of his lesson plan for the next few weeks, it becomes clear that pretty much everything being taught toward the start of the year comes from subjects he’s already familiar with. This kind of stuff is intended for the students who haven’t had any prior training from their parents or guardians before coming here - it’s all tips and tricks that he’s known and practiced for over a year now. He  _ does _ keep an ear out for anything interesting, but expects that the first day won’t hold anything particularly special.

After introducing himself and giving the students a slightly caustic welcome, their teacher starts talking about how today they’ll be establishing a baseline for improvement by having everyone in class perform the same jutsu. It’ll be one of the same techniques they’ll need to gain mastery of if they hope to graduate, but to Kakashi it’s an incredibly simple task - all they have to do is perform a basic clone jutsu. He lets his eyes drift shut and listens for his name to be called, still only devoting half of his attention span to the proceedings.

He ends up being the seventh person to be summoned, though he really doesn’t feel like getting up and going to the front of the classroom just to whip out a basic clone in two seconds. The teacher calls his name again, more insistently, and he subtly forms the hand signs for a multi-shadow clone jutsu. If he’s expected to participate, then maybe this little spectacle will convince the teacher that he’s already got a more or less perfect grasp on this particular lesson.

More than a dozen carbon copies of Kakashi poof into existence around the room, perfect down to the finest details. He’s had a lot of practice with this particular technique, and is honestly pretty proud of it though he’d never let that show. He barely catches the teacher’s compliment before dismissing the shadow clones. Quite a few of the students seem to be impressed as well, though he  _ does _ pick up a derisive comment or two about him being a show-off. For a split second Kakashi opens his eyes to catch that spiky-haired boy from the old woman’s garden scowling in his direction, and thinks that one of the complaints almost definitely just came from him.

The next person to be called up to the front is Gai, and he jolts at the sound of his own name. He looks the most nervous out of anyone thus far, hesitant about getting up and approaching the teacher to the point where he’s practically shaking in place by the time he arrives. Gai takes in a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, then performs the clone jutsu to the best of his ability.

As the smoke clears, all the students who’ve been sitting with bated breath to see how this’ll turn out start snickering and laughing - it’s just…  _ clothes. _ Gai hasn’t managed to produce any portion of his own person, just a duplicate of his ‘ridiculous’ outfit, as one student comments to her friend. The boy looks crestfallen and the clothes crumple into a loose pile, so he keeps staring down at his feet until the teacher dismisses him back to his desk.

Gai leaves the front of the room with people still quietly trash-talking him behind his back, none of them being all that subtle about it (not that they’re even really trying). He sits at his desk and puts his head down, resuming the prior engagement with his notebook while doing everything he can to not let the whole thing get to him. Kakashi  _ almost _ feels a stab of pity for the kid, but the thought is interrupted by the teacher calling out the next name on the list.

“Obito Uchiha.” The spiky-haired boy gets to his feet, looking pretty damn confident in himself as he takes center stage. He meets Kakashi’s eyes briefly, determination written all over his face. Kakashi feels like rolling his eyes - looks like Obito’s still feeling a little put-off by their first (and last) interaction. He forms the hand signs with practiced ease, resulting in a puff of smoke, and…

Everyone who’s just finished laughing at Gai’s lackluster performance finds themselves in stitches once again as Obito’s clone come into view. It’s not all that bad of a likeness, though the facial features could use a  _ bit _ of work. The real problem is that in spite of his apparent cockiness, Obito’s produced an almost entirely naked clone - the copy of himself stands at the front of the classroom clad in nothing but a pair of boxers.

Most of the color drains from Obito’s face and he retreats back to his desk just as quickly as Gai did. The clone disappears as he plops back down beside a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and stripes of purple face paint on her cheeks. And she quietly reassures him that it wasn’t  _ that  _ bad compared to what could have gone wrong. The two look back to the row of seats behind them as a boy tries to get their attention, the girl scowling somewhat defensively.

“Hey, Obito,” the boy says, stifling his laughter with minimal success, “that was really something! You might even have a decent result with a bit of help - if you and Gai put your skills together, then you’d  _ both _ have a fully functional clone. He’s got the clothes part down pat, and your copy almost showed up in his birthday suit, so you two are like a perfect match, right?”

“Lay off, Taro,” Obito’s neighbor retorts as Obito himself sinks lower in his chair out of embarrassment. “Yours didn’t look anything like you, so you have no room to talk. At least  _ his _ showed a good resemblance to the person it was supposed to be - I think if you tried to use _your_ clones in a fight, it would be all too easy to tell which ones were the fakes.”

Before Taro has a chance to spit out another insult, the teacher tells everyone to quiet down again so they can move on. Class proceeds from there with relatively few hiccups, but at least two of the students are left feeling just a little less optimistic about the day than they did when first waking up. Gai and Obito, right from the start, unintentionally secure their places as the class laughingstocks.

* * *

Half the day passes, time moving quickly for some and like molasses for others. Gai mostly just sits in silence, doodling in the margins of his notebook. He’s still doing his best to pay attention to the lecture, but he’s more of a hands-on learner as far as he’s been able to tell. Taking notes and listening to explanations of techniques, even when they’re accompanied by helpful illustrations, doesn’t really do all that much for him. He’s also still feeling a little humiliated about earlier, his lack of ninjutsu skills having been put on display for the whole class, Kakashi included.

Finally the teacher seems to take notice of what time it is and he releases all of his students for their lunch break. Everyone stands up and heads for the door, led by their sensei as he corrals them like a sheepdog. Kakashi grabs his lunch before falling into line with the other students, hanging out near the back of the procession since he’s not in as much of a hurry as some other children. However, going outside  _ does _ sound pretty good to him right now so he’ll have a chance to stretch his legs - this is usually about the time when he’d be letting the dogs out to play and getting some excess energy out with them so they wouldn’t keep him or Sakumo up all night.

Right at the end of the line is Gai, watching Kakashi and fidgeting quietly as he debates whether or not he’s really going to go through with his plan. He was determined to do it earlier, but after that embarrassing performance he gave during the benchmark test, he’s feeling a little less confident about the whole thing. Not to mention that he’s sort of concerned that if he attempts to speak with Kakashi he’ll just get another scathing, dismissive comment like the ones that have sort of made up more than half of his interactions with the other boy.

Gai spends the entire walk out to the yard doing his best to just sort of talk himself into this, and he’s about to go over to Kakashi when several other students essentially ambush the silver-haired boy as soon as their teacher releases them to eat and play. They start talking to him about his demonstration of the shadow clone jutsu in class this morning and one asks him if he’d be willing to give them some pointers so they could maybe get the hang of it, too. No sooner does Gai have the thought that Kakashi looks pretty uncomfortable, than he sees a puff of smoke and suddenly Kakashi is gone and there’s a log where he was just standing.

The kids who were trying to befriend him gasp and look around as though they’ll be able to find him somewhere in the immediate vicinity, but there’s absolutely no sight of him. Gai suspects that he’s found a secluded spot to eat his lunch in peace, so he resolves to spend the first five minutes of their break doing his best to track his classmate down.  _ If I can’t find him in the next five minutes, then I’ll do an extra one hundred laps around the track after class today. _

It’s only three minutes later that he manages to sneak up on Kakashi, who’s sitting under the shade of a tree on the very opposite side of the yard from where everyone came out. Well, he  _ thinks  _ that he's got the element of surprise, until Kakashi looks right at him with a subtle frown. Seeing no sense in staying crouched down in the bushes when he’s obviously been found out, Gai takes a few steps forward from his hiding place until he’s standing right in front of Kakashi with his hands clasped behind his back. Kakashi gives him an unimpressed look, currently in the middle of unscrewing the lid of a thermos.

“Yeah..?”

Gai’s words die on his tongue as he experiences a momentary lapse of courage and resists the urge to duck his head or turn tail and run. Kakashi looks him up and down and he clenches his hands, gently squeezing the small parcel that he’s got held behind him, hidden from sight. He takes in a breath and decides to go for it, brandishing something about the size of his fist at Kakashi who pulls his head back reflexively so he doesn’t get hit in the face. It takes a moment to puzzle out what it is, but as he recognizes the object Kakashi raises an eyebrow in mild confusion.

_ A… meat bun? _

In Gai’s hands is a partially wrapped nikuman, white and fluffy and seemingly still warm if the thin wisps of steam rising from it are any indication. Kakashi looks from that to the one it’s being offered by, waiting for some sort of explanation. .For a solid twenty seconds it looks like Gai expects him to just take it, no questions asked, but when he makes no move to accept the gift, Gai lifts his chin and does his best to look more confident than he feels.

“My papa says that you should always do your best to repay your debts, or at least acknowledge them, so I came to give you this and say…” Gai hesitates briefly, but bows his head while still presenting his offering. “I came to say thank you for your help last week. You went out of your way to do that, when you didn’t have to get involved. I appreciate your consideration, but you don’t really seem to get yourself into much trouble that I could help with, so...”

He trips over a few of the words, and it all sounds pretty rehearsed (because it is - Dai helped him practice it this morning), but it seems like he genuinely believes this is something that needs to be done. Kakashi contemplates the scene before him, thinking about brushing it off since it really wasn’t that big of a deal for him. But something about the sincerity of Gai’s gesture pushes him to extend a hand forward and take the meat bun, offering a mumbled ‘thank you’ in response. Besides, this is probably the quickest way for him to satisfy Gai’s sense of obligation enough that he’ll leave, allowing Kakashi to eat by himself like he wants.

Gai lifts his head when he feels the nikuman being removed from his hands, looking a little surprised but nonetheless delighted. He straightens back up with a smile and for a second or two he just stands there, but soon he seems to register the fact that Kakashi would probably like to enjoy it on his own, unobserved. With a brief, nervous laugh, Gai takes a step away - he’ll probably go eat in an empty spot next to the school so long as there’s room left by the time he returns.

“I’ll… see you later, back in class. Enjoy your food!” Gai pushes his way back through the bushes rather noisily, the sounds of snapping twigs and rustling leaves left in his wake. There’s also the occasional, whispered exclamation of pain or discomfort following the sound of a thin branch smacking Gai in the face. Kakashi watches him go, not saying a word, before turning his attention to the meat bun he’s been given.

At first glance, it looks like one that you might purchase from a vendor’s stall at the market, pristine white exterior with a pointed tip where it’s been pinched shut to keep any of the filling from getting out. However, upon closer inspection Kakashi notices a few tiny flaws that would almost certainly lead to it being labeled as unfit for distribution at such a place. Simple things, really, like the subtle crescent imprint of a nail that dug into the bun while it was being formed, or a couple spots where the dough is thinner than everywhere else.

These little inconsistencies bring Kakashi to the conclusion that either Gai or his father made this by hand. He brings it closer to his face to take an experimental sniff, finding that it definitely  _ smells _ good. Kakashi looks around suspiciously, almost like he thinks that someone could be watching him, before cautiously tugging the top of his mask down to his chin.

_ Well… I doubt it’s much worse than Dad’s cooking, and there’s no sense in letting it go to waste…  _ Kakashi bites into the bun, careful to make sure that the inside isn’t hot enough to burn his tongue. As he starts chewing and actually gets a proper taste, his eyes light up in surprise - it’s good. Really good, actually. He stands just enough that he can get a peek over the bushes at Gai, who’s sitting alone next to the academy and tucking into a nikuman of his own, then settles back down into his spot and considers the gift quietly.

_ Maito Gai, huh..? _

* * *

At the end of the day, everyone is dismissed by the teacher and allowed to pack up. Most of the students erupt into friendly conversation now that they aren’t under any instructions to sit still and be quiet, laughing and joking loudly enough that their teacher’s words of farewell are almost entirely drowned out. A few students head straight for the exit, ready to get the hell out of here or just excited to go home and tell their family about how the first day of class went for them.

Kakashi doesn’t really fall into either category, taking his time in putting things away as he’s in no big hurry or anything, but also still not going out of his way to interact with any of his classmates. He catches sight of Gai running out the door ahead of everyone else and wonders where he’s off to. The thought lasts only a brief moment before he mentally shrugs and zips his bag shut. Why should it matter to him what that guy does in his spare time?

“Um, it’s Kakashi, right?” A girl’s voice calls to Kakashi from nearby and he closes his eyes - while he may not be rushing to get home, that doesn’t mean that he has time to stand around entertaining more people who seem hellbent on socializing with him. When he turns around, he finds the girl who sat with Obito for the entire class and reassured him after the clone fiasco. Next to her is Obito himself, looking askance with his arms crossed over his chest and obviously displeased with this situation. “My name’s Rin. It’s nice to meet you.”

Kakashi declines to respond for a moment, pulling the strap of his bag over his head and trying to think of what he would say even if he was interested in participating. He isn’t big on small talk, which is just another obstacle to making friends since most relationships outside the familial tend to start with getting to know each other. The weather is… fine, and he doesn’t think too much about his likes or dislikes

“Sorry. I should be going.” Rin is better at hiding her disappointment than a lot of other people, but Kakashi can see that she was really hoping to have a chance to chat. She seems like she’d be more tolerable than most, but Kakashi isn’t totally lying when he says. “My dad will probably be worried if I take too long getting home, and there are some things I promised to help him with today.”

“Oh, alright.” Rin’s smile falters ever so slightly at his rejection, but it doesn’t completely disappear from her face. “I just wanted to say that I thought you were really impressive today, and to ask if you had any plans after class. Me and Obito were planning on getting together with a few others to play hide and seek. Maybe if you’re free later or tomorrow you’d be able to join us? We-”

“Don’t waste your time on him, Rin,” Obito grumbles as Kakashi turns to leave. “He’s kind of a jerk, as far as I can tell. If he thinks that he’s so much better than everyone else, then just let him leave - no one wants to be friends with someone who’s constantly looking down on them.”

Obito ignores Rin’s attempts to make him stop saying such rude things (especially when Kakashi’s still obviously within earshot), and Kakashi similarly ignores Obito’s insults. Instead, he moves the strap of his bag higher up on his shoulder and walks out of the classroom, leaving the two behind as Rin pulls Obito into a headlock that she knows he won’t be able to escape.

The sun, feeling brighter after a day spent inside, beats down on all of the academy students rushing to meet up with their parents or making their ways back home. Some of them stand around to talk or make plans with friends, but pretty much everyone seems to have somewhere to be or someone to be with. However, as Kakashi turns toward the path that will take him back toward his house, an exception to the rule catches his eye - it would be hard not to notice him, honestly, with his loud sense of fashion.

Watching Gai traverse the beaten dirt track repetitively gives Kakashi pause. He reflects once again upon his father’s words, about it being a bad idea to underestimate the other boy because he could very well overtake him someday. Gai rounds the bend for the third time in the past minute and just keeps going, feet kicking up dust and small stones as he runs laps like he has been since before school started. Kakashi turns his back and starts walking home, dismissing the memory with a shake of his head.

Kakashi walks home, and no one else tries to stop him along the way so he’s able to make decent time. He wonders what his father and the dogs have been getting themselves into while he was away, hoping that he can come home to a relatively undestroyed house. It’s almost guaranteed that he’ll have to spend some time with the ninken to make up for being gone most of the day, but if that’s the extent of his after-school damage control then he’ll take it.

He pushes their front door open while taking his satchel off, but stops as he sees that all the dogs are currently gathered right on the other side as though they’ve been waiting for this moment. Before he can even say the word ‘wait’, Kakashi is rushed by the whole pack and knocked off his feet as they all bombard him with affection. He is temporarily lost in a sea of puppy kisses and wagging tails, only an arm or leg managing to break free every so often before disappearing again.

It’s only after Sakumo calls them back into the house that the dogs disperse, leaving Kakashi sprawled out on the ground looking utterly defeated. He sits up to watch them all scurry back inside and wipes his face off before following. Sakumo’s voice calls from deeper within the house, saying something about company, and Kakashi starts taking off his shoes before he can move closer to hear the man properly. However, as he’s removing his sandals he notices an extra pair sitting on the mat and recognizes them almost immediately.

The woman’s laughter echoes through the house, confirming his suspicions, and he sighs. The bag and shoes come off, and he goes to the dining room where, sure enough, he finds Sakumo and Tsunade playing a game of shogi. They both look up from the board as Kakashi sets his bag down off to the side, looking like they’re having a good time together.

“Ah, seems like we might have to cut the game short, or at least put it on hold,” Sakumo says, rising from his chair to stretch his arms up over his head. Tsunade puts on her best disappointed pout and rests her chin on one hand, a little too quick to pack the board away for someone who claims that she was so close to winning. “Have time to stay for dinner, or..?”

“Nah, I think I’m gonna head out.” Tsunade stands as well, knocking back the rest of whatever’s in her cup before she goes. “Got a bit of an early start ahead of me, y’know? I have a mission in the morning, and as much as I love spending time with you guys, I’d really hate to deal with a hangover and an upset stomach on top of getting attacked left and right.”

“My cooking isn’t  _ that _ bad. Better than the takoyaki you tried making that one time.”

“I was  _ fifteen, _ Sakumo,” Tsunade fires back, gathering her belongings in preparation to leave. “I’ll admit that you’ve gotten better since  _ your _ first attempt, seeing how you’ve managed to keep from making yourself or Kakashi sick, but that’s one bet that not even  _ I _ would take. Keep me posted - let me know if and when you make something edible and I’ll take it under consideration.”

Tsunade laughs at the look of betrayal on Sakumo’s face as she pushes her chair in, then starts heading towards the door. On her way out, she reaches down to mess up Kakashi’s hair as usual, grinning mischievously as he scowls and halfheartedly swats her hand away. Soon the door closes behind her and it’s just Sakumo, Kakashi and the ninken once more. For a moment or two there’s silence, like they’re in the wake of a storm, then Sakumo turns to look at his son with a question in his eyes.

“... Is my cooking really as bad as she made it out to be?”

“Well…” Kakashi recalls some pretty horrendous results of his father’s culinary endeavors, but knows that recently with the two of them working together, they’ve managed alright. So in the end, he decides to quote Tsunade’s parting words and say, “You’re a lot better than you used to be, at least. It’s been a while since we burned anything, or accidentally used the wrong measurement for salt, so…”

Sakumo sulks, a somewhat rare occurrence, and Kakashi smiles sheepishly. It’s not like his  _ own _ cooking is superior by any standards, so there’s room for both of them to improve. But… with the meat bun that Gai presented to him today, he has a new standard to strive for. Hopefully Sakumo doesn’t ask what’s brought on his sudden desire to try his hand at making nikuman later this week.

“I guess that’s fair,” Sakumo relents with a sigh, picking the shogi set up to go put it away until the next time Tsunade comes to visit. That’s usually the only time he brings it out - he taught Kakashi how to play once, but they both quickly discovered that it isn’t really his thing. “Now, enough talk about my lack of talent when it comes to making dinner for my friends and family. Why don’t you tell me how your first day at the academy went?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and he tries... oh my god do i try


	4. Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You) - Bombay Bicycle Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi and Gai both push themselves to improve, unknowingly driving each other forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may not say it outwardly  
> So all I have are memories  
> Those looks at the start, the words in the dark  
> But never a flame, we just wanted the spark  
> Awkward hearts beating faster and faster  
> Faster and faster  
> We'll cut through the park  
> Stick to the path  
> I can't stick to the path  
> 'Cause I dream about nothing but you
> 
> \-- Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You) by Bombay Bicycle Club

Kakashi pushes some branches out of his way as he wades through dense foliage, careful not to let any swing around to hit him in the face. Sakumo left on another mission a couple days ago, so he’s been taking care of the dogs and himself, going to class, and training on his own in his spare time. It’s been a few weeks since school started up, and ever since then he’s been increasing his solo training time - if he waits to train only when Sakumo’s around to offer him tips, he might never get another chance with how busy the Hokage’s been keeping him.

It’s not long before he arrives at his destination and stops to take in the sight; it’s a huge cliff that he found shortly before his father left, which is the perfect spot to practice climbing and chakra control. He’s been coming out here after school for three days in a row now, testing how long he can keep his attention devoted to sticking there horizontally, climbing the uneven stone surface and gauging how fast he can reach the top. Today he intends to issue himself a bit of a challenge - scaling the whole thing one-handed should suffice.

His bag contains a water bottle and his lunch - no class today so he’s arrived earlier than usual - and that’s about it. There  _ are  _ a couple bandages just in case, since he managed to scrape his elbow up a bit yesterday. All it took was a momentary lapse of concentration for him to detach from the wall when he was ten feet up, and he landed on his left side. This time he’s decided to leave the ninken back at the house with the dog door unfastened in case they need to get outside.

With his bag resting up against the base of the cliff, Kakashi takes a moment to plan out the route of his ascension beforehand, mentally taking note of visible hand-holds and places where he’ll be able to take breaks if necessary. There’s an overhang that might prove a bit troublesome, but he won’t get a really good idea of just  _ how _ much from the ground. He positions his left hand behind his back, leaving the other free to climb, and lifts his right foot off the ground to get started before it hits noon.

Not that he expected this to be easy or anything, but it doesn’t take Kakashi more than five minutes to recognize the fact that this might be even more challenging than he originally anticipated. When he has both hands in play, it’s easy enough to keep hold of the rock while walking up, sort of stabilizing himself a bit instead of having to rely on one foot being firmly planted while the other moves. Only having one hand to work with doesn’t give the same sense of security, and it takes twice the effort to pull himself up at all.

_ Maybe I should focus on improving my upper body strength before trying this again to see if that makes much of a difference... _

The progress is slow, but bit by bit he’s able to inch his way up to the overhang by doing his best to always have a combination of either both feet or a foot and a hand touching the cliff at all times. The dual-contact makes him feel like he’s less likely to detach and fall, but it’s also fairly taxing. When he stops to take a short breather, there’s sweat dripping down his face and his limbs are shaking with the effort of holding him in place.

Suddenly, one foot slips and the other is quick to follow, leaving Kakashi hanging from the cliff by one hand. Under normal circumstances, he’d use his other hand to help out, but he hesitates because of the rule he’s set for himself - one-handed means one-handed. A fall from this height won’t kill him, as he’s a bit more resilient than that, but it would still hurt so he’ll just have to be careful with how he goes about the whole thing. One wrong move could lead to him being injured, and he isn’t fond of the idea that he might have to make it back to the house on a sprained ankle.

For some reason, Gai’s face comes to mind as he’s struggling to regain his footing - the concentration and determination in his eyes during the training he’s been putting himself through for the duration of the school year thus far. Kakashi’s never really thought of himself as a very competitive individual (though some might disagree), but the idea of not living up to the same standards that Gai seems to hold himself to gives him that extra bit of motivation he needs to get both feet back into position. Afterwards, Kakashi stands there for a minute or two just trying to bring his heart rate down to an acceptable rhythm.

At least he can’t say that his weekend’s been boring.

The overhang doesn’t prove to be as much of an issue as he thought it would be, as he decides to just focus chakra to the soles of his feet and walk the rest of the way up, so within a couple of minutes Kakashi finds himself on level ground once more. He lies down on his back to take a minute, and finally recognizes that the palm of his right hand hurts. When he brings it up to his face to take a look, he sees a shallow gash there that must have been caused when all of his weight was being supported on one hand. It’s only now that the adrenaline is wearing off that the pain is slowly starting to sink in.

He groans quietly, sort of regretting his decision to leave the bandages in his bag down below to minimize the amount of extra weight he’d be carrying. Right now, even the  _ thought _ of climbing back down makes him want to nap for several hours - he just doesn’t have it in him yet. When he picks up the sound of running water nearby, he chooses to go and at least wash any dirt and grime from the cut while he’s doing his best to muster up enough energy for his descent.

Sure enough, Kakashi easily manages to track down the source of the noise - a small mountain stream flows cool and clear not two minutes from where he was just lying down. He kneels down by the water’s edge and dips his injured hand in slowly. It stings a bit, but he’d rather deal with this than just let any dirt hang out in there while he’s taking a break. He can properly disinfect it after getting back down to his bag, then bandage it up, have a lunch break, and get right back to work. Yeah, he’s pretty worn after the climb up, but shinobi are supposed to push themselves beyond their natural limits in order to become stronger, right?

During his five minute break, Kakashi almost falls asleep next to the stream - it’s really peaceful out here, with the warm sun shining down on everything, the fresh air, the quiet sounds of nature. He could do without the bugs, of course, but the rest of his environment is slowly lulling him to sleep. The climb coupled with the crash after his adrenaline rush doesn’t help matters, but he forces himself to stand and go back to the cliff. Maybe he’ll just drop by the house for a twenty minute nap and finish his training once he’s rested up.

For the climb back down, Kakashi simply uses his uninjured hand, moving slow and steady to hopefully avoid another slip, or a fall. By the time his feet hit level ground again, he’s tired, hungry, and thirsty, so he immediately breaks out the water bottle and takes a big drink. It’s a little warmer than he likes, but that doesn’t matter in the aftermath of a training session - he’s drinking like this is the best water he’s ever had.

Kakashi, sitting under a tree and feeling warm and relatively comfortable, barely manages to bandage his hand without drifting off into slumber before he’s finished. Everything’s catching up with him, so he decides to just give in and sit here for a little while longer. He’ll just rest his eyes for a few minutes before attempting to reach the house, and then he can take a proper nap in his own bed. Just… close his eyes and... hang out here for a bit…

* * *

Kakashi grumbles quietly as he’s lightly jostled about, nuzzling his face deeper into whatever his head is resting up against. He slowly realizes that it isn’t grass or tree bark, and he definitely shouldn’t be in motion if he’s still in the forest where he was just a second or two ago. When he manages to sluggishly blink open his eyes, he finds that he’s in the village and being carried down the street on someone’s back. Someone…

_ Dad. _

Sakumo turns his head slightly in response to the sound of his son waking up. He smiles tiredly and says, “Sorry about that. I got bumped into and it must’ve woken you up. We’re almost home, but you can go back to sleep. The ninken told me where you went when I got home, so I came to surprise you but you were asleep. You looked like you were working hard before I found you passed out in the middle of the woods like that, so I tried not to disturb you.”

Sleep? Passed out? Kakashi racks his brain, trying to remember what he was doing before this. It all comes back to him as he starts waking up a bit more - the cliff, training, the cut on his hand. He brings his hand up to his face to double check that he really finished taking care of it before going catatonic, finding that it’s properly bandaged and everything.

“I saw that your hand is hurt. Nothing too serious, I hope?” Kakashi shakes his head tiredly, not yet capable of coherent speech. Sakumo closes his eyes for a moment as he smiles, glad to hear that his being away hasn’t had any terrible repercussions. “Well, I’m glad to hear it,. And hey - now we kind of match, don’t we?”

Sakumo raises his left hand into view to show that it is similarly wrapped up, a tiny bit of dried blood peeking through the white bandages. Kakashi places his own hand next to his father’s to compare, ignoring the muted worry prickling at the back of his mind in regards to the face that Sakumo’s actually been hurt this time - it’s nothing life-threatening, so he can deal with those concerns when he isn’t still half asleep.

The sight of their hands side-by-side brings to mind the memory of Gai’s wrapped hands and the first time they met. He wasn’t paying much attention to them at the time, but now that he’s looking at them from the perspective of someone who, in a way,  _ earned _ the exhaustion that came with it through hard work…  _ Was that what you were seeing then, Dad..? _

“You’ve been doing well recently,” Sakumo comments, looking forward as he speaks. “I just wanted to say that it makes me happy to see how you’re working to improve your skills, and that I wish I could-” He stops talking upon hearing a sound from Kakashi and glances back at his son. Sakumo chuckles quietly when he realizes that Kakashi’s fallen asleep in the middle of his sentence, too tired to even finish their conversation. “I’ll just tell you later.”

* * *

Gai stumbles slightly, feet almost numb by this point, but keeps on running. Dai has long since tapped out, five thousand laps proving to be just too much for him. It feels like too much to Gai, too, but he wants this. He made a self rule and everything - a proper one where he’ll challenge Kakashi to some sort of competition once he can make it around the academy track this many times. He’s nearing the end, but after going at it for hours on end, his stamina feels like it’s about to reach its limit with five more laps to go - about another mile.

And still, he presses onward, lightheaded and struggling for every breath, every step. This is something he has to see through if he ever wants to be on even ground with Kakashi. The thought of falling short when he’s so close to his goal is the only thing keeping his legs going - that, and a mental image of Kakashi running ahead of him. To catch up to the genius of their class, work hard enough that he could stand beside him as an equal and be acknowledged as such used to feel like an incredibly impossible goal, but he’s giving everything he’s got to make it a reality someday.

_ I’m not going to give up. Not now. I… _

Dai wraps his son up in his arms as he practically trips over the finish line of his final lap, proud as any father could ever hope to be. Gai is exhausted, his whole body shaking in the wake of such exertion, but he’s made it through. Dai reflects on the insane difference a few months of training have made in his abilities and gets emotional thinking about the heights Gai could reach if he stays motivated. Despite any perceived disadvantages, he’s really starting to show that he can overcome them.

“So,” Gai says, out of breath and collapsed into his father’s embrace, “this is youth?” This is the amazing strength of will and determination his father’s always talking about? He has to admit - despite his protesting muscles and overwhelming exhaustion, it feels good to accomplish something like this. He had to push himself far beyond what he thought his natural limits were, but he set a goal for himself and stuck with it to the end. It’s like a promise you vow to keep, holding yourself accountable for both your successes and your failures.

“Hm!” Dai agrees fervently,tears in his eyes at the sense of fulfillment he feels radiating from Gai beyond his fatigue. “You did spectacularly, Gai! As this is a special occasion, what do you say we go out and get something to eat? Anywhere you want to go, we’ll go!”

“That sounds nice, but…” Gai buries his face into Dai’s shoulder so the rest of his sentence comes out all muffled. Dai gently turns his son’s head so it’s still supported but he won’t be speaking into the front of his jumpsuit. Gai looks up at him, already halfway to passed out and says, “I can’t really feel my legs right now…”

Dai snorts in laughter and touches his and Gai’s foreheads together. “Hmm, I think our night out can wait if that’s the case. I could always carry you around the restaurant on my shoulders, but you might bump your head if we’re indoors since you’re getting so big!” He punctuates his sentence by tickling Gai’s ribs, which are particularly susceptible to this type of attack. His son laughs and bats his hand away, so Dai relents and hauls him up onto his back for a ride home.

As he does this, he groans as if he’s just lifted a sack of concrete onto his back and Gai sticks his tongue out at the display. Dai can’t fully conceal his grin as he says, “Gai, you feel like you put on a few pounds of muscle from all that running. It might take a bit longer for us to get home than usual, and I’m gonna have to consider this part of my  _ own _ training.”

“I don’t think I’m any heavier than I was when we left the house, Papa. You’re just making stuff up.” Gai smiles tiredly into the back of Dai’s neck, letting his arms hang over the man’s shoulders. His whole body feels like a well-cooked noodle - no structural integrity whatsoever.

“Hey, you remember that I was trying to keep pace with you through the first fifteen hundred, right? Maybe I’m tired, too.” Dai takes comically slow steps, paying no mind to any of the judgmental looks that he might be getting from others on the street. It makes Gai laugh, and that’s worth any amount of ridicule in his eyes. “Besides - if you can’t feel half of your body, how do you know you aren’t heavier than you were before, hm?”

The only reply he gets is a sleepy, half-hearted raspberry blown into his shoulder as Gai passes the threshold of becoming too tired to keep talking. Dai chuckles and starts walking normally, though he wasn’t totally lying about being sort of tired himself. Hell, even if he  _ hadn’t _ been trying to run with Gai for more than one thousand laps, just  _ watching  _ his son expending so much energy was enough to make him feel worn out.

The walk home  _ does _ take a bit longer than usual, but that’s mostly because Dai’s doing his best to keep from disturbing his son’s mini nap along the way. When they get to the house, Gai stirs as they ascend the steps to the front porch and Dai slides open the door. He seems a bit disappointed to be put down, but settles into the chair easily enough as Dai says he’ll be right back.

“I’m going to run you a bath and break out the salts, alright? That should help keep your legs from being overly sore when you get up tomorrow.” Gai nods into his arms, resting most of his upper body on the table in an attempt to continue his nap. Dai pats his back and goes to start running some nice warm water and try to recall where they even keep the bath salts.

It isn’t long before he returns, sleeves rolled up and a few specks of water dotting the chest area of his jumpsuit like he accidentally splashed himself at some point. He picks Gai back up and carries him to the bath, then sets him back down on a short footstool next to the tub. Gai is told to undress and get in while Dai grabs a clean towel from a basket of laundry that hasn’t been put away yet, and he obliges as best as he can with the state he’s in - half asleep and feeling like he could just turn into a puddle any minute now.

Dai eventually returns and sees Gai has managed to do as instructed, and he is now lounging in the warm water contentedly. He sets the towel down nearby and takes a seat on the edge of the tub to wash Gai’s hair and spend some time talking with his son. He also doesn’t fully trust Gai to not fall asleep right now, which would be ill-advised when halfway submerged in water.

“You know,” Dai begins, hoping that a story might entice Gai to stay awake long enough to finish his bath, “I still remember a time when  _ I  _ trained even  _ half _ that hard for something when I was younger. I made a self rule and everything, and spent over a month trying to reach my goal, all so I could have the courage to ask a girl if she would go out on a date with me.”

Gai sits up a bit straighter, never having heard this one before. Dai has told him a few stories about his own childhood, but most of them tend to involve Gai’s grandparents who he never got the chance to meet. Other than those few exceptions, Dai seems to avoid talking about the past and focuses instead on the future.

“We were friends in the academy, though I was a few years behind her in terms of skill. She was… six when she graduated, and I took another three years. It wasn’t until we were fourteen that I started to see her in a different light. She was determined and outgoing, and al and always did her best to think about things in a positive light. It was almost intimidating in a way, if I’m being honest.

“Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to ask her out, though I’ll admit to being pretty nervous about it. I decided to make my first official self rule, like a deal with myself designed to help me work up to my goal. I told myself, ‘If I can walk around the village on my hands 400 times, then I will invite her out on a date.’” As he’s talking, Dai sets himself to the task of washing Gai’s hair, sleeves still rolled up to keep them relatively dry. He carefully pours a cup of water over his son’s head and continues with the story that seems to be doing the trick of keeping Gai awake.

“She definitely didn’t make it any easier for me - it seemed like every time I got anywhere near 400 laps, I’d end up running into her and she’d start up a conversation. Of course, that always made me lose focus and trip over a rock or a dip in the ground. Once I tripped over my own hands and ended up with a mouthful of dirt and grass. She got a good laugh out of that one, so I wasn’t too upset about it.

“One day, she finally got around to asking me what I was even doing out there every day I didn’t have a mission or chores to take care of at home. I almost fell over right then and there, trying to think of what I should say. I ended up explaining that I made a deal with myself to help reach a specific goal, and I was so busy talking with her that I completely missed the fact that I crossed my finish line. I crumpled to the ground when she pointed it out, and when she was done laughing, she asked what I was supposed to do now.”

“And?” Gai is covering his eyes to make sure he doesn’t get any shampoo in them, but he peeks out from under his hands to look at Dai in anticipation of the story’s conclusion. When he sees that his father has the cup of water in hand again, though, he covers them again and leans his head back. “You asked her, right?”

“Well, yes, but I had to wait a bit longer because I bit my tongue really hard when my arms gave out on me like that, so she was asked while we were walking home from the hospital.” Dai laughs at the memory, recalling the confusion on her face. “She couldn’t understand a word I said since I wasn’t able to speak clearly, but with an impromptu game of charades I was able to get my point across. We scheduled our date for some time after we could both be back to talking without using our hands to help explain what we meant.”

Dai finishes rinsing the shampoo out of Gai’s hair and sets the cup down on the edge of the tub, smiling fondly as he wraps up the story. “That’s how your mother and I first ended up together. Because of a simple little goal I set for myself, and because I pushed myself to reach that goal, my whole life changed. I want you to know that I’m proud of you for working so hard, and who knows what’ll come of it? But Kakashi will be sure to notice how far you’ve come, and someday I bet he’ll be the one pushing himself to reach  _ your  _ level.”

Gai smiles at the thought, and the story, and his papa’s words of encouragement. His goal doesn’t end here; he’s just climbed the first couple of steps. There’s still a long way to go before he reaches the top, and the thought is both intimidating and exhilarating but hey - he doesn’t consider himself to be the type of person who back down from a good challenge.

“I’ll do my best, Papa.”

* * *

Sakumo lets Kakashi rest for a while after they get home, all the dogs snuggling in around the child when he is placed into his bed. In fact, he lets Kakashi  _ oversleep,  _ because after a few hours spent doing paperwork as usual he decides for once that he should be able to indulge in a quick nap of his own - a quick nap that ends up being three hours long because he falls asleep before he can even roll over to set his alarm clock for thirty minutes. His head hits the pillow and he is  _ gone. _

This leads to Kakashi walking into his father’s room at six in the evening, having been up since three thirty. It’s dinner time, and as much as he’d like to let Sakumo catch up on some much needed sleep, he doesn’t want the man’s schedule to be thrown off by this. That, and he’s getting  _ hungry!  _ He didn’t get to eat his lunch on time, which Sakumo thankfully put in the fridge for him, so he’s been snacking on a few arare in an attempt to hold out until six.

Kakashi closes the door and looks at the bed, where a big pile of blankets covers the slumbering form of Sakumo. Not an inch of him is exposed to the air, wrapped up like a caterpillar in its cocoon, and he’s snoring gently which means that he’s hitting that  _ good _ sleep. His son has to stand there and strategize for a minute because he knows what few others do about Sakumo…

While he’s a light sleeper on missions, after he comes home bone tired from multiple nights of being unable to get any deep sleep, the man is almost impossible to wake up once he passes out. And you don’t want to startle him awake, because he’ll come out of there swinging nine times out of ten.

The first tactic he tries to use for waking Sakumo is to simply go up to the lump in his bed and shake him, gently at first, but then using more force if nothing happens. It doesn’t usually work when he’s like this, but it’s always Kakashi’s first choice because hey, you never know, right? Seeing that this hasn’t had any sort of effect at all, he moves into phase two: climb onto the bed and find a way to remove Sakumo from the blanket nest manually.

“Dad…” he grumbles, scaling the side of the bed easily enough. Trying to find a corner or edge of the blanket to pull on is another matter entirely - Sakumo’s  _ really _ wrapped up in there. Kakashi takes three whole minutes to find a seam in the armor down toward the foot of the bed, so he grabs hold and pulls with all his might. “It’s time… for… dinner!”

When he finally manages to tear the blanket away from Sakumo’s legs, it comes free with little warning. Having not been expecting such a sudden release of tension, Kakashi ends up falling backwards off the edge and lands on the floor with a solid thump. He just lies there for a few moments, stunned, until his father’s sleepy face comes into view as he lazily investigates the source of the sound.

“... You alright down there..?” Kakashi furrows his brow and sits up, rubbing the back of his head where it hit the floor - It’s already feeling sore. In response to his father’s question he simply points at the clock on Sakumo’s nightstand as if it should provide all the explanation he might need. Sakumo squints at it in the dark, groaning when he finally manages to make out the time that it’s showing. “Alright, alright, I’m up.”

Kakashi stands and brushes himself off, finding Sakumo’s statement a little hard to believe as the man closes his eyes and lies back down in bed. He walks to the door, pauses, then opens it and lets the waiting dogs flow around him to go pester his father. After all, they haven’t had  _ their _ dinner yet either and have been closed out of Sakumo’s room for several hours now. Those two factors combined make them a little less likely to listen to Sakumo, so Kakashi goes to wait in the kitchen while his father helplessly fends off a whole pack of hounds smothering him with affection.

It isn’t too long before the dogs flee from the room, pursued much more slowly by Sakumo who is currently sporting some noticeable five’o’clock shadow and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. By this point Kakashi’s already fetched the ingredients for dinner and laid them out on the counter alongside his personal notebook. The dog-patterned cover is hidden from view right now, as it’s flipped open to the first page where Kakashi’s copied down a recipe from a book that he found in the library yesterday.

“You know that you can just take the whole book out, right?” Sakumo teases passively, pawing through one of their cupboards in search of some caffeine-rich tea blends to choose from. “Then you could have a lot of recipes to try instead of writing them down one by one. I’m sure there is also more than one cookbook available there, so you could cycle through four or five of them.”

“I’d eventually have to put each of them back,” Kakash says, almost defensively as he sits on the counter. Sakumo gives him a slight disapproving look and he hops down. “Besides, I don’t like most of the things I saw in the one I was looking at. I just thought that it would be nice to… put together my own list of ones that I like, or think I’ll like, so we could try some new things without having to haul around a big heavy book and flip through a lot of stuff to get there…”

Sakumo notices that this seems to have struck a bit of a sore spot with Kakashi and stops in the middle of his tea hunt, looking back at him. He’s fiddling around with one corner of the page in his notebook, looking a little put out that he hasn’t really gotten the type of response he must’ve been looking for when presenting the idea. Sakumo sets down the jar of honey he’s holding and walks over to take a look at the recipe in question.

_ Nikuman? _ The recipe is one for meat buns, which isn’t really something that he’s ever brought home as far as he can remember. Maybe he saw one at a street vendor or at a store somewhere? It looks a little complicated for people of their culinary skill level, but if it’s so important to Kakashi then he’s more than willing to give it a try. Sakumo puts a hand on Kakashi’s shoulder as a conciliatory gesture and tries looking moderately concerned.

“So… You’re sure you wrote down all the right measurements and everything? Particularly the salt?” Kakashi gives him an accusatory scowl that screams, ‘It was one time!” and Sakumo cracks a smile. “I’m just saying - cookies definitely aren’t meant to taste like that. I’d hate for us to go through all this trouble to try a new recipe only for it to be completely inedible at the end because it’s full of salt or the outsides fall apart from too much flour.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Kakashi glances at the recipe and starts following the first step to making the dough, measuring out all the ingredients one by one. He refuses to look at Sakumo as he admits, “I made doubly sure because I remembered how those cookies turned out and how awful they were, and I didn’t want to risk a repeat performance. Everything’s exactly how it was in the book, so if it gets messed up then that’s all on us.”

“Good to know we can’t blame the recipe if things go awry,” Sakumo says, filling part of a measuring cup with water from the sink. “I’ve been meaning to ask, though - any reason in particular for the sudden interest in learning how to cook more things and make our regulars better? You’ve never really shown that much interest in any of it before… Is this because of what Tsunade said about our cooking while she was here a while back?”

Kakashi elects to forgo a response, because he doesn’t want to lie but also doesn’t know how to explain the real reason why he’s suddenly so dead set on improving his cooking skills. What should he care if Maito Gai is better than him at something like this, anyway? It definitely doesn’t matter in the long run, and maybe he just wants to pick up a hobby because he’s so bored with his classwork and needs something to challenge himself with.

“Well, if that’s the case then why didn’t you just say so?” Sakumo grins and sets the water aside to be added into the dough mixture. “If we put our minds to it, we can probably make at least one that turns out good, and give it to her so she’ll eat that long with her words. Then she won’t insult our cooking ever again and won’t have an excuse to skip out on dinner every time she’s over.”

“What’s with the talk about ‘our’ cooking?” Kakashi gives Sakumo a sideways glance, combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl with some vegetable oil and stirring while Sakumo pours the water slowly over it all. “As far as I remember, I think that it was only  _ your _ cooking that she had any issue with, wasn’t it? She didn’t mention mine at all.”

“Hey, we’re in this one together, for better or worse.” Sakumo finishes adding the water and takes note of the fact that Kakashi already has a fine dusting of flour on the front of his shirt. Suffice to say, if that’s the worst thing that happens during this whole process then they’ll be leaps and bounds above how things usually go. “If I’m going down, then you'll be coming with me, so don’t think you have nothing to lose here.”

After the dough ingredients have been thoroughly combined, Sakumo flours their work surface and reflexively reaches for the dough to knead it. He stops up short, however, as he remembers that he and Kakashi are both down a hand at the moment. They exchange a look and he smiles sheepishly at the lack of foresight they’ve shown.

“Well, looks like I’ll have to do this one-handed and hope for the best!” Sakumo removes the lump of dough from the bowl and smacks it down onto the counter, then does what he can to press the top half of it, pressing forward slightly. He pulls it back, folds it in half, and repeats, turning the dough slightly every now and then. It takes a bit of getting used to, but he finds a rhythm that works for him and makes do. Halfway through the process, he catches sight of Kakashi glancing at his injured hand and remembers that he never got to explain what happened.

“It’s alright now,” he says, catching his son off-guard. “On of my teammates almost got badly hurt, but I did what I could to make sure he didn’t. I ended up getting hurt instead, but everyone made it out alive so I’m okay with that. It doesn’t even hurt anymore unless I squeeze my hand really tight, like a fist. It could’ve been a lot worse for my teammate if I hadn’t intervened.”

Kakashi remains quiet for a while after that, deep in thought. Eventually he looks up at Sakumo hesitantly and asks, “Are you friends with your teammates? You never have them over like Tsunade, and you don’t really talk about them much. And they stick you with all the paperwork all the time, so you’re always busy. And if they’re not your friends, then why…”

He doesn’t pose the question out loud, but he doesn’t have to - Sakumo understands what he’s struggling with and sighs.  _ If they’re not your friends, then why would you risk your life for them?  _ Sakumo stows the covered bowl of dough away in the oven so it has time to rise, then washes his hand so it isn’t stick when they start preparing the filling.

“I don’t know if I can really call them my friends, but they’re important to me. We have to trust each other to watch our backs when we’re out in the field, and we have to work together so it pays to be nice and help each other out. We don’t spend all that much time together outside of work because they both have their own families to look after. When we were younger, with less responsibilities, we went out from time to time.

“As for the paperwork, I’m the team leader so a lot of it requires my signature and approval anyway. They do their share, but in some situations it just makes more sense for me to fill something out when half of it requires my attention. That, and one of my teammates has a new baby that keeps him and his wife up all night, so I’m trying to give him a break. If you knew how much you kept me awake as a baby, you’d understand.”

Kakashi wrinkles his nose up a little at the thought of dealing with a crying, screaming baby for so long and a bit of his mild resentment toward these people melts away. The closest he’s ever come to that situation would have to be whenever they brought a new puppy into the pack - most of them whined or scampered around their new home anxiously, But the worst was probably Bisuke, howling long into the night outside Kakashi’s door because he and the other dogs got locked out when he got fed up with the puppy’s antics.

Sakumo sees Kakashi throw the dogs a baleful look and laughs, ruffling his hair with the hand that’s still dripping water after being washed. “Yeah, that’s you. My noisy little pup who screamed at me every time I left the room to so much as pour myself a cup of coffee or grab a handful of granola to eat. I caught on  _ real _ quick to the idea that I might just need to carry you around with me everywhere I went. And it’s a good thing I did, because otherwise  _ none _ of us would’ve been getting any peace and quiet.”

Kakashi ducks away and shakes as much water from his hair as he can, splashing Sakumo with a bit as payback. His father laughs and shields his face, then lowers his arms and smiles at him warmly. It’s a nostalgic smile, like he’s thinking back on those long nights spent almost frantically trying to figure out what he haws supposed to do. Kakashi thinks that he’ll never really understand how anyone could think about a situation like that and find it cute or lovable.

The two of them fall into idle conversation while preparing the pork filling for their nikuman, mostly talking about Kakashi’s training or how he’s doing at school. Sakumo watches his son work diligently and recalls what he was going to say earlier before Kakashi fell back asleep on their walk home. However, before he can get the words out Kakashi realizes that he forgot to get the ginger down and takes off into the pantry. Sakumo watches him go and shakes his head with a soft but almost relieved sigh.

_ You’re doing well, aren’t you? It looks like maybe I don’t have to worry so much after all. _


	5. Born Bold - Valley of Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gai and Kakashi have their first competition and Tsunade gets roped into a dinner with her friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moving these mountains that are in my view  
> No room for doubting  
> Gotta see it thru  
> I'm on the run like a renegade  
> I'll be the storm and I'll ride the wave
> 
> \-- Born Bold - Valley of Wolves

Gai examines his reflection in the mirror, turning this way and that while trying to make sure nothing is out of place. Silently, Dai watches his son from the porch, tilting his head curiously to the side as Gai shifts the bandana around his neck half a degree. He’s never seen him taking this level of care with his appearance before, and it’s really sort of amusing to know that he’s going to such trouble before challenging Kakashi.

“You know, if he accepts your invitation, there's a good chance all your hard work will get messed up,” he chimes, causing Gai to look back at him, hands on his hips. He puts his hands up in front of his chest, an apologetic smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I just meant that I never really expected to see this as part of your preparations.”

“It’s important though, isn’t it?” Gai returns his attention to the mirror, smoothing a rebellious strand of hair back into place. He won’t really need anything for the sparring match he’s going to initiate, and his leg weights are already on under his leg-warmers. Internally, he tries to convince himself that he isn’t stalling. “If everything goes according to plan, then this could be the start of a life-long rivalry and... making a good impression right off the bat can’t hurt...”

Dai’s expression softens and he turns back to watching the edge of the forest, giving Gai as much time as he needs to calm his nerves. When his son finally moves to walk past him, he gives him a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile. “Good luck, and try not to be home too late - we still have that dinner to get around to!”

Gai nods in agreement and mirrors his father’s supportive gesture. “It shouldn’t take all that long, so I promise I’ll be home before it’s time for us to go. If for some reason I’m late, then I’ll walk around the village on my hands four hundred times as punishment for breaking that promise!”

With that, Gai takes off to track down his opponent. Dai watches him go, happy to see how far his son has come with both his training and his confidence in the past couple of months. He soon rises to his feet, some residual determination rubbing off on him - he has his own goals to meet, and he’s not ready to see his son surpass him yet, so while Gai’s away, he might as well do some training of his own.

Gai’s watched Kakashi train out in the woods for a while now, usually within the same general area. Whether it be mountain climbing, projectile weapons, jogging, or even water walking, he’s pretty consistent with the time he shows up, and tends to come out at least three times a week. Gai’s gotten fairly familiar with this part of the forest as a result, and can find his way to the right spot without even having to pay attention anymore.

There’s a river that he has to cross along the way, and he’s been trying to use it as an excuse to practice _his_ water walking abilities. They’ve shown remarkable improvement, especially when you take into consideration the fact that he couldn’t do it at all when he made the first attempt. Now he can sort of inch his way across as long as he maintains perfect focus and mental discipline. His feet still get a little wet, but it’s an accomplishment that he’s genuinely proud of.

When he arrives, Kakashi seems to be taking a break to eat lunch - it’s about one in the afternoon, so it’s to be expected. Gai had a bit to eat before he left the house, but couldn’t get much down due to a mixture of excitement and anxiety. He knows that he is more prepared than ever to challenge Kakashi Hatake, but that doesn’t make the approach much easier.

For a minute or two he just stands there, debating on whether or not this is a good idea. His legs still want to carry him back home, but he made himself a promise and he doesn’t intend to back down after coming this far. So, in spite of the trepidation and worry churning in his stomach, Gai prepares to make his presence known and finally go for it - this will likely be a defining moment for him and Kakashi, and possibly the start of a long-term arrangement between them as well.

Gai takes in a deep breath and lets it back out, then leaps from the bushes and flies toward Kakashi. If he’s gonna make an entrance, he might as well add a bit of flair and pizazz to it, so he does a flip in midair and lands a few feet away from his target. Pointing a finger right at Kakashi, he opens his mouth and says, “Kakashi, I have come here to challenge you!”

Kakashi simply stares at Gai with his chopsticks held in one hand as the other rests on his knee. It's always a little hard to take this guy seriously, but Gai doesn't seem to be joking so he decides to treat the exclamation as a serious request. Be that as it may, Gai really came out to the middle of the woods just to challenge him to... what exactly, he doesn't know, but it's probably something that will take time out of his training schedule.

"No," he answers plainly after a moment of silence. He doesn't have time for this today - even stopping to eat lunch is a bit of a luxury at this point since he arrived late. Gai looks briefly crestfallen, but regains his determination almost immediately. Kakashi gets the feeling that this could prove to be a pretty long day if he can't convince Gai to forget whatever this whole thing is all about.

"My papa says that competitions between peers can prove to be a great way for both parties to improve their performance and expand their tactical knowledge. They can also help foster camaraderie between shinobi who will possibly be paired up on a mission together in the future."

 _He sure thinks highly of his dad,_ Kakashi muses, listening to Gai talk about how the two of them are in the 'springtime of their youth' and other such things that sound like they came directly from the boy's father. Kakashi knows that accepting this challenge would probably be the best way to evaluate Gai's abilities, but he really _does_ need to get back to training. Eventually though, he relents, if only in the hopes that it will convince Gai to back off once everything's said and done.

"Fine," he says reluctantly, setting aside his food to stand up and brush himself off. To be honest, this is the first time any of his classmates have had the nerve to come out and issue a challenge to him, so he has to give Gai a _little_ credit for going through with this. "What exactly did you have in mind? Sparring? Climbing? Water walking?"

Gai, whose eyes were just sparkling enthusiastically at the sound of Kakashi agreeing to his proposal, falters slightly. He hadn't really thought that far ahead, so he has to take a moment to think about what they might be the most evenly matched on. Certainly not water walking, if his trip here is anything to go by, and he still remembers watching Kakashi scale this huge cliff with one hand held behind his back.

"How about shuriken?" Kakashi suggests passively, glancing at the targets that he already has set up in the immediate vicinity. That was going to be the next thing he worked on after lunch anyways, so if he can get Gai to agree then he won't even have to fall behind with his training. He looks back to Gai, waiting for any kind of response.

Gai considers this, having focused less of his attention on his aim than he did in physical activity. That's not to say that he has zero skill in this particular activity, just that it isn't really his area of expertise. However, he worries that it might be considered rude to turn down Kakashi's suggestion on day one, and decides to accept with the determination to simply do his best - and he can consider this further training in projectiles as well as a lesson that he should be more prepared in the future.

"I accept!" Gai says finally, and Kakashi ignores the urge to bring up how Gai is the one who issued the challenge in the first place. They both fetch some shuriken from their respective bags and Kakashi lets Gai pick the first target they'll be aiming for. He chooses an easy one to start, low to the ground and angled right at them with no obstacles. Kakashi also waits for Gai to throw his shuriken before going himself, more out of curiosity about Gai's skill level than courtesy.

Gai throws out three with impressive speed and strength, but they end up being pretty scattered across the board as his accuracy suffers for it. One does manage to come close to the bullseye, but the other two are far enough away that it sort of cancels out. When he's done, Gai steps back to let Kakashi have a go at it. He feels okay about how his landed, since they all managed to hit the target, but it could've been better.

Kakashi steps up to the plate, almost lazily looking at the target as he takes aim. One right after another he throws a trio of shuriken just like Gai did, but his form is much different and it shows how much he's been practicing because all three hit dead center. He moves out of his stance and slips a hand into his pocket while sending Gai a sideways glance, noticing that his competitor is looking a little nervous about these results.

This goes on for another half an hour, which was the amount of time Kakashi wanted to allocate to this part of his training from the beginning, and it seems that he is the clear winner. He's more than quadrupled Gai's number of points, and all but three of his shuriken hit the bullseye. After the final round he looks over at Gai, expecting to see him looking thoroughly defeated by this outcome. Instead, it looks like this has done nothing but fuel the fire this kid has burning in his eyes.

"Now we're one to zero," Gai says, bunching his fists up at his sides, "but I won't let you keep that lead for long! Now I challenge you to a sparring match - last person standing takes the point!" Seeing that Kakashi looks very disinterested in this suggestion, Gai moves on to phase two of the plan; adding extra incentive. "If I win, you show me how to get better at aiming my shots with shuriken and kunai. If you win, well... name your conditions."

Kakashi's first instinct is to refuse, as it feels like he's just encouraging this sort of thing to become a regular occurrence. But as he looks at Gai, brimming with unwavering conviction even in the face of such an overwhelming defeat, he finds himself curious. He starts packing his things away, not responding immediately which seems to frustrate Gai a bit. Once he has everything stowed away in his bag, he turns his back to Gai.

"I'm going for a run, then heading home."

Kakashi misses the disappointment that flashes across Gai's face, but he can almost feel it without even having to look. It's almost funny how invested Gai seems to be in the idea of a rematch, but Kakashi's already indulged him enough for one day. As he departs, Gai also turns to leave, feeling somewhat dejected, but he stops up short as Kakashi issues some parting words to him.

"I'll be down at the training grounds tomorrow after school for an hour. Show up or don't, that's up to you."

Gai has to take a moment to comprehend what Kakashi's saying, but then he whips back around to reply. The words die on his lips as he watches Kakashi walking away, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world - he looks so _cool_ and collected. Gai can't help but smile at the thought that Kakashi might actually be interested in continuing this whole thing as well, and he nods silently to himself before turning to head home.

_I'll be there. You can count on it._

* * *

Kakashi comes home around three in the afternoon, slightly winded after having pushed a little harder than usual on his jog. It went on for an hour-and-a-half, and he only stopped because he realized it was nearing the time he agreed to meet up with Sakumo to train with the dogs. They’re supposed to work on some coordinated attacks and recognizing/understanding simple hand signals. The latter part could prove to be especially useful in the future, because sometimes you can’t afford to shout directions to your allies in the field unless you want your enemies to know what your plan is before you can even get it off the ground.

As soon as he gets inside, Kakashi spots Tsunade's sandals set off to the side of the entryway. They're lined up next to Sakumo's shoes, having likely been rearranged by the man after his guest kicked them off to move further into the house. Kakashi places his own sandals to the other side of hers quietly, wondering for a moment if there's any chance he could slip into his room unnoticed to wait Tsunade out - he's already socially exhausted for the day after just thirty minutes with Maito Gai.

These halfhearted hopes are dashed as Sakumo calls him into the kitchen, probably after hearing that the front door was opened and closed. Kakashi braces himself to endure more socialization with his dad's friend and follows the sound of idle conversation to where Sakumo and Tsunade are hanging out. He scowls at the sight of Tsunade casually sitting on the counter while Sakumo pays her offense no mind, but is quickly distracted from this as his father asks him how his training went.

"Fine," Kakashi responds, prompting Sakumo to look back at him as though he's expecting a more detailed report. "I did a series of shuttle runs on the river, sparred with some shadow clones, then took a break for lunch. After that, Gai showed up and challenged me to some kind of competition, even though he didn't know what he wanted us to _do_ for it. I beat him at throwing shuriken, then he went home and I went for a jog. Not much to tell."

"Sounds like a full day to me," Tsunade says, sharing a look with Sakumo that Kakashi can't decipher but definitely doesn't trust. The woman rests her chin in one hand and turns her attention back to him with that awful, teasing grin of hers. "When did you go off and find yourself a friend? And why is _this_ the first I'm hearing about it? You know how much our little heart-to-hearts mean to me!"

While Kakashi is busy fending off Tsunade's invasive series of questions, which are on the verge of being an outright interrogation, Sakumo simply takes a moment to let himself absorb the fact that his son actually accepted the aforementioned challenge at all. He has been hoping that something might eventually come of these interactions, but hearing Kakashi even begrudgingly admit to Tsunade that he and Gai have another potential match scheduled for tomorrow is something else. He's surprised by the development, but pleasantly so.

"As much as I'd love to stay and dig up all the details of this situation, I really should be going." Tsunade drops down from the counter as she attempts to excuse herself. "I wasn't planning to stay for very long, but couldn't bring myself to leave without checking on _both_ of you. Unfortunately, I still have a mission report to fill out for the assignment I've been on for the last _three weeks,_ which will probably take up the rest of my afternoon."

"Well, isn't that a shame?" Sakumo leans back against the front of the sink, doing his best to sound casual as he prepares to deliver a proposal he's been holding off on since his friend showed up. "I was just thinking that I should ask if you have any dinner plans tonight. In my experience, it tends to be pretty nice to have company at that first dinner after getting back from a long mission instead of eating alone, and I'm pretty sure Dan isn't due back until later tonight. But if you don't have time, we could always do it some other night."

"Hmm..." Tsunade looks both suspicious and intrigued by the offer. Sakumo may be a tactical genius, but there's more than one reason why he hasn't played her for money since they were teenagers. She takes a few seconds to think it over, but eventually it seems like her curiosity wins out over any hesitation she might be struggling with. "I guess I could make time for that, depending on the place you have in mind."

"Why don't we eat here?" Tsunade immediately looks skeptical, but Sakumo starts to explain before she has a chance to hit him with one of the usual scathing, critical remarks she whips out in response to this question. "You said that you'd consider it when I could make something edible. Well, Kakashi and I have been practicing for a while now and I think our food lives up to that criteria and then some by now. We'd love to show you how much we've improved, and you never got to finish telling me how that story ends."

Tsunade looks from Sakumo to Kakashi, who looks back at her with an expression that says, 'Don't look at me - this is all his idea.' Try as she might, she can't really come up with a plausible excuse to say no (at least, not one that doesn't come off as rude), especially when Sakumo seems to be so genuinely attached to the idea of her coming over later. Bundle that together with the offer of free food and not having to be alone in the house until Dan gets home...

"You drive a hard bargain..." Tsunade smiles, too worn out to argue and tempted by the opportunity she's being presented with. "I'll accept, but mainly just because I'm fresh off a three week mission, haven't had a hot meal since we left the village, and I'm pretty sure your cooking won't _actually_ kill me. That, and you know I can't resist the chance to finish filling you in about how _miserable_ Jiraya was the whole time we were out."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Sakumo replies, accompanying Tsunade to the door. She stoops down to put her shoes on, then gives him a firm pat on the shoulder once she's standing upright again. "So when do you think we should be expecting you? Just so we have a decent time frame to go by when figuring out if we should start panicking?"

"Probably closer to seven. If I finish the paperwork around six, I might take an hour or so to check in at the hospital and see how things have been going while I was away." She opens the door and steps outside, then pauses to look back at Sakumo. "And please, for future reference - you might want to keep the talk of panicking to a minimum when trying to convince someone to attend something that you'll be hosting."

 _"Goodbye,_ Tsunade." Sakumo nudges her the rest of the way out the door with a chuckle and a grin. Maybe there _is_ a reason why people seem to be able to tell that they kind of grew up together. For a minute he just stands there, winding down from that 'just had company' energy. When he turns around to head back into the kitchen, he sees Kakashi poking his head out from around the corner. "Now, _I'd_ be interested in hearing more about this competition you and Gai had today. Care to elaborate?"

Kakashi immediately ducks his head back into the other room, making Sakumo even more curious. He returns to the kitchen to find his son busying himself with the task of getting a cup of water - can't talk while you're drinking, right? Seeing that this might be a pretty one-sided conversation, Sakumo shakes his head slowly and stops waiting for a reply that probably won't be coming.

"Well either way, it's nice to hear that you're planning to go again tomorrow. Training with someone new could help expand your horizons, and give you a new challenge beyond what even I have to offer you." Sakumo pauses, feeling slightly emboldened by Tsunade's agreement to come back for dinner later, then grins. "And hey... if I didn't know better, I might say that it seems like you're starting to warm up to him a little more. Friendship might not be out of the question after all."

"It was just to get him off my back. He doesn't really seem like the kind of person who gives up easily, so I'd rather have him get it out of his system now than have to deal with this over and over again." Kakashi's tone is defensive, meant to convince Sakumo that this is a short-term arrangement between him and Gai without any real meaning or importance to him. However, the man definitely takes notice of how the tips of his son's ears go pink with embarrassment at his accusation.

Sakumo smiles and drops the subject, not wanting to drive Kakashi away from the idea of befriending Gai by accidentally pushing him into it. Besides, they have a dinner to plan and prepare now if they want to live up to Tsunade's expectations. That's about when he realizes that he doesn't even know what he and Kakashi are going to be making, since he didn't fully expect they'd get this far.

_Hm... Maybe I should have asked her what she'd like to eat…_

* * *

Kakashi wields an old broom, sweeping up any scraps that the dogs haven’t helped themselves to over the course of him and Sakumo cooking. At the moment, everything is done except for the rice, which has maybe a minute left, and it all seems to have come out wonderfully. They’ve decided to go with oyakodon because it’s relatively simple to prepare and filling enough as to not require any side dishes. It _did_ require a quick grocery run to pick up a couple ingredients they were missing, but now the hard part is over and there are very few ways for them to mess it up from here.

Just as they're turning the heat off for the chicken/egg mixture, there comes a knock at the front door. One or two of the dogs raise their heads in response to the sound, but Sakumo simply gestures with one hand for them to settle down and they immediately comply. He checks the time, which is 6:49 p.m., and starts to set the pan back down to go and let their visitor in.

"I can get it," Kakashi says, leaning the broom up against the counter. He's on his way out of the kitchen before Sakumo can even begin to protest, temporarily abandoning cleanup duty. Sakumo sighs at this but grins a little and stays put, finding it nice that he’s actually going out of his way to go let Tsunade in instead of hiding in the kitchen. "You have to keep an eye on the rice so it doesn't get burnt."

Kakashi goes to the door, expecting to be greeted by Tsunade's when he pulls it open. Instead, he finds a man a few years older than Sakumo standing outside with his hands stuffed down into his pockets. He looks tired, and kind of like he's in a bit of a hurry, but when he looks down and sees Kakashi blinking up at him he smiles amicably. It takes Kakashi a few seconds to recognize him as one of Sakumo’s teammates - Kyoufuu, if he's not mistaken.

"Hey there," he says, squatting down so he's closer to eye-level with Kakashi. He's using that sort of patronizing baby voice people tend to slip into when speaking with young children and Kakashi decides that he's not a huge fan right off the bat. "Kakashi, right? It's been a while. If your dad's home, so you think I could get you to have him come to the door so I can talk to him for a minute?"

"I can tell him you'd like to see him," Kakashi deadpans, doing what he can to make it perfectly clear that there's no need for Kyoufuu to talk down to him like this. He may be a child, but he's not exactly on the same level as many of his peers, and he's certainly not a baby. "He'll be right out - we're just finishing dinner, but he can probably spare a minute or two."

Kakashi closes the door in Kyoufuu's face and goes to fetch Sakumo. When he explains the situation, his father's smile fades slightly as he wonders what Kyoufuu could want at this time of the day. He entrusts the last bit of prep work to Kakashi, telling his son to come and get him if he needs anything, and removes his oven mitts. Hopefully this isn't something that will interfere with his plans for the evening, but he'll deal with it one way or another.

While Sakumo goes to talk with Kyoufuu, Kakashi sprinkles some Shichimi Togarashi on top of each bowl of oyakodon but keeps an ear out for any sign of trouble. He can't remember the last time either of Sakumo’s teammates came by the house, so something must be up. Silently, he prays that it's not another last minute change in the departure date for a mission - with the war going on, it seems like that's becoming a much more common occurrence.

"Kyoufuu," Sakumo says pleasantly as he opens the door to greet his teammate. It's not often that you see someone looking more tired a few days after they get back from a mission than they did on the way home, but Kyoufuu definitely looks like he's list a few nights of sleep since the last time they saw each other - such is one of the joys of parenthood. "May I ask whether this visit is business or personal?"

"A bit of both, I guess? I had some news that I wanted to deliver in person." He runs a hand back through his hair, stalling a bit as he tries to formulate a sentence in his head. "You and Katsuo will be working with someone else for the next mission - a temporary replacement while I'm taking a bit of time off to look after Suzume. She's been feeling a little under the weather recently, so she needs some help keeping up with things around the house and taking care of the kids."

"Ah, my condolences." Sakumo dips his head respectfully at the news. He and Suzume don't know each other all that well, but hearing that she's sick still affects him. It must be something more serious than a simple cold if Kyoufuu is actually taking time off of work to care for her, as well, though he doesn't want to pry. "Please let her know that I wish for her speedy recovery the next time you see her."

"I will, but don't worry too much - I expect things should be back to normal soon enough, and I'll be returning to active duty... How have things been going for you, Sakumo?" The question seems to catch Sakumo a little off guard and Kyoufuu lets out a little puff of air that might be an attempt at a laugh. "We haven't talked about much other than work for a long time now. I was just wondering if you're doing well."

"I..." Sakumo hesitates briefly, but soon remembers that Kyoufuu was one of the only people who thought to check in on him after Emi died. "I'm doing alright... Busy as hell, as you already know, and doing what I can to look after Kakashi when I'm here. He's doing well in the academy, so I can't really complain on that front, and he's taken an interest in learning how to cook, so we're making dinner together. Tsunade's meant to be coming over within the next ten minutes or so."

"Ah, then I'll let you get back to work." At the mention of Tsunade, Kyoufuu breaks out in a cold sweat - the two haven't always been on the best of terms and he's still under the impression that she hasn't forgiven him for a passing remark he made to her once five years ago. It certainly doesn't look like he wants to stick around and find out whether that's true or not. "Take care of yourself, and I'll see you around."

“I will, and same to you.” Sakumo watches Kyoufuu curiously until the man disappears from his line of sight, then shakes his head a bit and remembers that he has other things to be focusing on right now. In fact, before he has the chance to close the door he spots Tsunade approaching from up the road and calls back over his shoulder for Kakashi to start setting the table if possible.

“Was that Kyoufuu I just saw leaving?” Tsunade walks up to the house and Sakumo spots a seemingly unopened bottle of sake tucked under one arm. He steps aside to let her through, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the bottle and she laughs. “People sometimes bring stuff like alcohol when invited to dinner, as a gift to the host, but also you’d want a drink too if you had to deal with half the bureaucratic shit I just did with the aftermath of that mission. I would’ve brought a bottle of wine but you know that’s not really my style.”

“I’ll probably pass on the drinks for tonight, but thank you.” He can’t say that he one hundred percent approves of Tsunade getting plastered at a dinner his son will be attending, but knows the feeling and decides to let it slide. He can always send Kakashi off to his room to study and cut her off if she starts breaking things, though hopes that the situation won’t get to that point. “And yes, it was Kyoufuu. He dropped by to let me know that he’s taking a short vacation. Why don’t you go ahead and take off your shoes and say hi to Kakashi? I’ll hang your jacket up and be right there.”

Tsunade kicks her shoes off then rearranges them to be neat before Sakumo can say anything about it. When she approaches the table, she sees Kakashi setting out cups and utensils, apparently waiting for Sakumo to bring the bowls of hot food in from the kitchen instead of doing it himself. He looks up and meets her gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly with a pair of chopsticks in hand.

“Hey, kid.” Tsunade grins as she places the bottle of alcohol on the edge of the table, eyeing the pointed objects Kakashi’s holding. “I’d give you my usual greeting, but I’m a bit worried that if I tried to mess up your hair, you might try to defend yourself and I don’t trust like that. So you’re safe… for now. But I’ll get you sooner or later. With that being said, can I get any information on what I’m supposed to be scarfing down tonight as far as dinner goes?”

“That would spoil the surprise,” Sakumo says, entering the room on his way into the kitchen. He gestures to an empty seat as he passes by, prompting Kakashi to pull out the chair for Tsunade who gives him a bemused grin in return before sitting down. “We tried to aim for something filling, and prepared enough to have leftovers, so I hope you’re hungry.”

“I guess I’ve lived long enough,” Tsunade replies, uncorking the bottle of sake with practiced ease. She pours a moderate helping into the cup she’s been provided right off the bat, sets the bottle down, and raises her drink in Sakumo’s direction. “I say go ahead and bring it on.”

* * *

“Oh, man!” Tsunade exclaims drunkenly, halfway through a bottle of sake and absolutely _raving_ about the food as Sakumo takes her plate and now-empty cup.. “You weren’t, kidding when you said that you guys got better. And here I thought tonight could be my last night on earth. I’ve never been happier to be wrong.”

“You’re welcome.” Sakumo sneaks the alcohol away from her before she has the chance to polish it off and end up passed out at the table. On his way into the kitchen with everyone’s plates, he looks at Kakashi and gestures with his head toward the bathroom. “Kakashi, why don’t you tell Tsunade goodbye before you brush your teeth and hop in the bath, just in case she’s gone by the time you get back? I’ll take care of the dishes and put the leftovers away.”

Kakashi looks from Tsunade to his father and back, silently wishing they could trade jobs as the woman reaches her arms out toward him for a hug. He would try to say his farewells from across the room to avoid the physical contact, but if Tsunade really wants a hug there’s precious little he’d be able to do that could keep her from getting it. So instead of delaying the inevitable, he accepts her unspoken request and wheezes out most of the word ‘goodnight’ as she hugs the life out of him.

“Sorry I was gone during your birthday,” she mumbles into the top of his head, not realizing that she’s kind of squashing his face into her shoulder while patting his back a bit harder than necessary like she’s trying to be comforting but more… forceful. “I’ll hit you up with a gift within the next couple of weeks, alright? Now go get cleaned up. If I’m gone when you get out, I’ll see you around.”

Once she finally lets him go, Kakashi heads to the bathroom to run some water in the tub while brushing his teeth. Sakumo waits for the door to close most of the way behind his son before coming back to the table so he can sit down beside Tsunade. Hopefully she isn’t too drunk to give him a reliable answer to a question or two, but he sort of feels obligated to ask after his brief conversation with Kyoufuu earlier in the evening.

“Tsunade, you’re a medic.” Tsunade gives him a deadpan look that makes him feel like an idiot. “Okay, forget I said that like it was something you didn’t already know. I’m only bringing it up because I thought you might know something about Suzume Gekko’s condition - when Kyoufuu dropped by earlier, it was to tell me that he’s taking time off because she’s sick. So… Do you know anything about how bad it is?”

“Yeah it’s uh, not great.” For a few seconds, Tsunade pauses in confusion as she looks around for her glass only to find it missing. She even checks on the floor to make sure she didn’t knock it over at some point and simply fail to notice. When she can’t seem to locate it, she abandons the search and turns her attention back to Sakumo. “The last time I took a shift down at the hospital, it looked like she’d already been set up in the room for a while. I don’t think it’s really a new development or anything.”

Sakumo sighs, briefly lamenting the fact that he didn’t even notice anything was amiss with his teammate. Then again, that’s probably the way Kyoufuu wanted it - he’s always been a rather private individual, so it’s not strange to think that he would want to keep this whole thing under wraps for the most part. He just wishes that… Actually, he doesn’t really know _what_ he wants from the whole situation at this point.

“Well, I don’t want to overstay my welcome.” Tsunade attempts to excuse herself, getting to her feet to leave. She wobbles a bit, like when you stand up too quickly, and catches herself on the edge of the table to keep from toppling sideways. With an apologetic smile aimed at Sakumo, she pushes her chair in while still using it to keep herself steady. “Sorry. I think I hit the sake a little harder than I had planned. It’s been a rough few weeks, you know?”

“Yeah,” Sakumo replies quietly, rising to guide her into the living room, “I get it. Why don’t you stick around while I call someone to come and pick you up? Just hang out on the couch and wait for ten, fifteen minutes instead of trying to make it home on your own. I’d offer to walk you back myself, but I have some chores to take care of around the house that I’ve been neglecting most of the day in favor of spending some time with a friend for once.”

Tsunade opens her mouth to argue against this, but quickly decides that lying down might actually be pretty nice right now. So rather than give him a hard time about putting her down for a nap like she’s Kakashi’s age, she sinks down onto the couch as gracefully as she can and lies on her side. As Sakumo turns to go make a call from the phone in the kitchen, she mutters a few words of thanks that he accepts with a tired smile.

Pakkun, on his way to enjoy his nightly dental chew in Kakashi’s room, wanders right past the couch and is swiftly scooped up into Tsunade’s arms. He scowls, teeth still clamped firmly into his treat and curly tail starting to wag of its own volition as she tells him he’s ‘just the cutest’. When she tightens her grip on him, he gives out a sound not unlike one you’d hear from a well-loved squeaky toy. This alerts Sakumo to the situation, prompting him to peek back into the room to make sure the pug isn’t actually in need of a rescue.

“I’m alright,” Pakkun grumbles, barely comprehensible with his mouth full and a pair of arms around his middle. Once Tsunade relaxes her arms, it’s actually sort of comfortable there so he settles in to keep her company while she waits. He also starts crunching away on his treat, being more careful than usual to try and keep from scattering crumbs all over the place - Tsunade probably won’t appreciate it if she ends up with slobbery bits of dog food on or _in_ her shirt.

Maybe twenty minutes later, a freshly bathed Kakashi comes out of the bathroom ready for bed. He looks around for Sakumo and soon finds him at the front door, releasing Tsunade into the care of her fiance, Dan. Kakashi’s only met Dan once, several months ago, but he’s heard Tsunade talk about him enough to feel like he knows the man better than that.

“Thank you for calling me,” Dan says gratefully, one of Tsunade’s arms around his waist and her head on his shoulder. “And sorry I took so long to show up. Right after I got off the phone with you, one of my teammates called to update me on the status of a mission our squad has been in the process of receiving - circumstances in the field keep changing and all that. After she finished talking about our orders, she kept me on for another ten minutes trying to convince me to come out on a team dinner tomorrow night and gushing about her daughter.”

“It’s fine, really. I enjoyed having her over, and the extra time she just spent taking a short cat nap so she wasn’t exactly getting in my way.” Sakumo smiles and waves his hand dismissively as he assures the man that his fiance hasn’t been causing any trouble. Even if Tsunade _had_ made a nuisance of herself, he probably wouldn’t say anything that might get her scolded. Goodness knows he’s made a few drunken missteps in the past that he would much rather be forgotten.

“Well, I’m gonna take her home so she can get some actual sleep.” Dan adjusts Tsunade’s grip on him slightly, supporting a portion of her weight as she leans tiredly into his side. She really does look like she’s about to fall asleep standing up, so he might have about ten minutes before he ends up having to actually carry her back to the house. “We’ll see you around, and tell Kakashi I said hi.”

“I will. Have a good night.” Sakumo bids the pair goodnight and closes the front door, then turns to see Kakashi waiting for him at the end of the hall silently. “You could’ve let me know that you were done, and come over to tell either of them goodbye. Let’s go then - off to bed.”

He shepherds his son toward his room, where the usual pile of dogs wait for them. It’s easy enough for him to convince them to move enough for Kakashi to wiggle his way under the covers, and he takes a few moments to sweep some crumbs off the blanket into his hand to be thrown out. As he’s doing this, Kakashi seems to be thinking about something and finally decides to say what’s on his mind.

“Did your teammate lie to you?” Sakumo looks confused and Kakashi hesitates, realizing that he might get scolded for listening in on his dad’s conversations. However, he’s already asked the question and genuinely wants to hear Sakumo’s answer - this feels like one of those questions that might rattle around in his brain for a while if it’s left shut away in there and he doesn’t like when that happens. “About how sick his wife is...”

“Sounds like someone’s been eavesdropping on my conversations.” Kakashi opens his mouth to refute this but Sakumo holds up a hand to stop him. “I don’t really think he lied to me necessarily, but he certainly withheld some information and had every right to do so. Just because we’re teammates doesn’t necessarily mean he has to tell me everything that happens in his day to day life, you know. As for why he did it…”

Sakumo has to take a moment to try and find a good way to explain some of the finer nuances of the situation to his son when he still has trouble picking up on them himself sometimes. Thank the stars for Tsunade, who put up with his lack of grace when it came to conversation and other social obligations that came with friendship and even just being on a genin team or interacting with people at all. He can’t really say that she handled the task with any real amount of patience, but she definitely managed to help him improve a great deal over the years.

“Well… sometimes people hide their pain from the ones they care about because they don’t want them to worry. They often think they’re making things easier on their friends and family by not giving them more things to concern themselves with. Other times, you’re just dealing with someone who’s used to playing things close to their chest for one reason or another. Whatever reason he had for saying what he did, I don’t hold it against him. I’ve probably done the same in the past.”

With that, Sakumo says goodnight to Kakashi and all the pups and leaves, flicking the light switch off on his way out. For a few minutes Kakashi just lays there in silence, mulling his father’s words over. Eventually though, he rolls over onto his side as much as he can when surrounded by dog bodies that make furry little barricades around him in the bed. It’s getting late and he has school tomorrow, which deserves his attention far more than whatever Kyoufuu and Sakumo have going on.

_People are weird…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have the names I'm using for Sakumo's teammates >:3c And if it wasn't already clear, I love Tsunade


	6. [Piano] Song of Storms - LilyPichu (on Youtube)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gai visits Kakashi's home for the first time then hosts him in return while Sakumo's paying his friend a visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Instrumental)
> 
> \-- [Piano] Song of Storms - LilyPichu {on Youtube}

A few weeks come and go while Gai and Kakashi's tentative arrangement stays in place. At first, Kakashi would begrudgingly accept Gai's challenges so long as they coincided with his usual training regimen, but eventually he's come to recognize that comparing his skills to Gai's could prove to be more beneficial than he originally anticipated. Gai certainly doesn't have the same range of abilities as him, being solely focused on taijutsu, but Kakashi _has_ managed to pick up a trick or two since this whole thing started.

Today, he actually finishes their sparring match off by beating Gai with a move that he picked up from him last week - a spinning kick that took him several days to master. Gai, having lost by being the first one to get knocked down, groans quietly as he lies there in the dirt and grass. While he's mulling over his loss, Kakashi takes this opportunity to retrieve the water bottle from his backpack so he can rehydrate.

"I don't know about you," Gai begins, finally sitting up, "but I feel like I've been getting better since we first started. I mean, yeah I still lost, but it took you a lot longer to knock me down than it did the first time, right?"

Kakashi pauses in the middle of taking a drink, interested by the fact that Gai was apparently able to gauge something like that in the middle of a fight. However, it doesn't change the fact that he hasn't won a single challenge yet, which is something most people would find very disheartening. Kakashi looks Gai over briefly as the other boy stands and brushes himself off, chattering on about different times during the fight where he managed to evade an attack or where he thought he had Kakashi on the ropes.

"I have to ask," he finally interjects as Gai takes a moment to drink from his own water bottle. "Why do you keep challenging me even though you keep losing? It's been weeks now, and it's always the same, but you keep doing it anyway. I don't get it..."

Gai stands there for a few seconds, blinking owlishly at Kakashi. Most people would probably take offense at essentially being told that someone didn't really see the point in them trying if they're just going to lose every time, but he knows by now that Kakashi's just genuinely curious about what keeps him coming back over and over again. It takes a few seconds for him to come up with a response that feels right, but eventually he comes to a conclusion and smiles.

"It's who I am." Kakashi just stares at him for a bit and he shrugs, not having a better explanation than that. "If I give up, I don't really have _any_ chance. I think I'd rather have a small chance of beating you someday than none at all. Besides, I'm having fun and making progress each time, even if it's not much, so what more could I ask for?"

Kakashi averts his gaze to the side, thinking quietly as Gai goes back to thoroughly draining his water bottle. Fun? He can understand the desire to improve a skill, and even gets the aspect of not wanting to give up, but is this what Gai considers fun? It's just like training, right? Sparring, competing, working to better themselves.

Eating lunch and Gai trying really hard not to fall into the river while they're each balancing on one foot on the surface. Maybe that's what he means?

Before Kakashi has a chance to ask, he feels something cold and wet hit his shoulder and looks up to investigate. The skies have been a little cloudy all day, but it looks like it's gotten pretty overcast while they've been talking. Now, rain is starting to fall and he exchanges a quick look with Gai before they both start gathering their belongings to seek cover. By the time they've finished, the light drizzle has evolved into a fairly heavy downpour and now sees them trapped under the dense boughs of an evergreen at the edge of the training field.

"It's really starting to come down, isn't it..?" Kakashi wipes his forehead and eyes with the back of his sleeve, scowling petulantly at the sky for having essentially dumped a bucket of water on them. "I think that we should call things off for now - I'm not afraid of a little rain, but it's cold and getting heavier by the minute, and I really don't feel like having to walk home feeling like I'm waterlogged. We should probably get inside..."

They both pause as a realization hits them; Gai's house is in the forest all the way on the other side of the village. Even if he manages to pull off some really impressive !maneuvers to duck under every awning and stoop along his way, there's pretty much zero chance of him making the whole trip without getting completely soaked. Under normal circumstances, Kakashi wouldn't even _consider_ making this offer, but (as much as he's loathe to admit it) the idea of making Gai trek home in freezing rain makes him feel... guilty? It sure is _some_ kind of negative emotion.

"My house is a lot closer than yours..." Gai turns his attention from the grey skies to Kakashi as the boy speaks, looking a bit confused at first. However, as he starts to pick up what Kakashi seems to be putting down, his expression slowly starts morphing into one that's a mix of surprise and delight. "If you want, you can come with me and wait it out there as long as my dad's okay with it. If it ends up going for a long time, we could at least walk you home with an umbrella."

Gai hardly hears a word Kakashi's saying after that, too caught up with the fact that he's just been invited to someone's house for the first time. Suffice to say that he's never really had any friends, but with this on top of all the time he's been spending with Kakashi recently it feels like that's changing. He tunes back into the conversation just in time to hear Kakashi saying something about making a break for the nearby cluster of trees, but his excitement gets the best of him.

"Alright, let's race there! If we can't get in another round of sparring, this will be a substitute!"

"Hey, wait!" Kakashi calls even as Gai takes a head start. He sighs, knowing there's not much of a point in arguing - they have to dash from the edge of the forest into the village anyway, so as long as they stick relatively close to the trees until then it won't be much worse. "I don't think you even know where I live..."

He manages to quickly catch up to Gai, who's paused at the edge of the forest seemingly waiting for him. Either that, or hesitating at the thought of facing the sprint they have ahead of them, but it's more likely that his sense of fair play convinced him to forgo the lead he got while Kakashi was caught off guard. He smiles sheepishly when he sees Kakashi jogging up to join him under this last spot of shelter before the open expanse between here and the house.

"So, you live _kind of_ close to the academy, don't you?" Kakashi gives him a skeptical look and he explains, "I went out shopping with Papa after class a few weeks ago and we saw you walking home. Though I guess that you could have just been going to visit a friend's house or something. I just kind of assumed since you went in without knocking."

"Well, I don't have any friends to visit, or any family aside from my dad, so it's a fair guess. Do you still remember where it is or are you going to end up getting lost in the rain on the way? "

Gai doesn't really give him a response, sort of taken aback by the idea of Kakashi not having any friends. He probably just means that there aren't any he's close enough with to warrant a house call, because Gai has a hard time believing that the most popular person in their class doesn't have a huge number of people wanting to befriend him. At least, he seems to be flocked by admirers just about every day during lunch.

"Nevermind," Kakashi says, getting into position to start running. The tree they're under isn't perfect cover and he's getting tired of standing around with heavy raindrops smacking against the top of his head every few seconds while waiting for Gai to say something back to him. "If you find yourself forgetting the right way, you can just follow me and you'll get there eventually." 

Before Gai has the chance to even _begin_ to protest against Kakashi's little jab, the other boy starts a countdown to takeoff. It seems like the race is ready to begin with or without him, so he decides to take the phrase 'actions speak louder than words' to heart and simply give this all he's got. Gai gets himself in line right next to Kakashi and readies himself to get going as soon as he hears go, but as the mark approaches he makes the subconscious decision to glance over at his competitor for a brief moment. It's hard to tell with the mask and all, but...

_Is he... smiling..?_

Kakashi calls out 'go' while Gai's still distracted, not noticing at first that he's leaving him in the dust. It doesn't take long for Gai to catch it, though, and he scrambles after Kakashi into the freezing rain - he won't let himself be beaten so easily after already suffering _one_ defeat today. Kakashi may have a slight head start and know the way better, but sheer determination can make up for some big shortcomings and disadvantages.

Gai pushes himself to catch up, running hard until they're neck and neck. As they're each paying more attention to keeping the lead from the other, Gai completely misses the puddle they're coming up on and runs right through it. Water splashes up around him and Kakashi, soaking them almost as much as just standing out in this downpour for a few minutes would. He apologizes loudly, but doesn't break stride - a little water won't hurt them, and there's no sense in dropping the race over an honest mistake.

Over and over, they whip around corners and dodge obstacles in near perfect unison, but neither of them manage to gain much ground on the other. Before long, they find themselves in Kakashi's street with his house quickly coming into view. For just a moment, Kakashi pulls ahead and Gai worries that he's about to fall another step behind in the growing tally of their budding rivalry. Then, at the last second as they're approaching the front door, he manages to find an extra ounce of energy that lets him catch up and end the match with their first tie.

After that, they both take a minute or two and just catch their breath before heading inside. Kakashi watches Gai, rain water dripping down his forehead and off the top of his nose, and thinks that he should possibly push his own training one step further - otherwise he might really be at risk of Gai catching up. Shaking his head to try and disperse at least _some_ of the water weighing his hair down, he turns the doorknob so he and Gai can get out of the rain and start to dry off.

It isn't long before Sakumo peeks his head around a corner to confirm that he did, in fact, hear the door open and close. When he notices that his son seems to have company for once, he fails to find any words of welcome and instead just stands there for a few moments watching the two remove their shoes while trying not to drip water anywhere aside from the doormat. Kakashi spots him before Gai does and stills, almost mirroring his father's reaction to their own appearance.

"... It started raining..."

"I can see that," Sakumo replies with a wry smile. "Well, I made an educated guess. It was either rain, or you both decided to take a full body dip in the river in the middle of October for some reason. Just stay put for a minute while I grab a couple towels for you both to dry off. You can finish explaining once you're not looking so cold and soaked to the bone. "

Sakumo scurries off to track down a pair of towels, glad that he's actually been managing to keep up with both his busy mission schedule _and_ the list of things that allow the house to run smoothly for once. He returns and brandishes them at the pair of waterlogged children standing where he said to wait. Kakashi has definitely picked up a bad habit or two from spending his formative years with several dogs, but Sakumo will always be grateful that he's never had to count 'shaking water everywhere after coming in from the rain' among them.

Gai accepts the towel with a slight bow of his head and starts to dry off, moving from his hair down like he's been taught. As his head emerges and he's about to start on his shoulders, he sees Kakashi doing the same and pauses briefly to stare at the way his hair seems to be sticking out in every direction after being thoroughly tousled. He immediately looks off to the side and pretends he didn't notice anything as Kakashi glances in his direction, stifling a laugh as he makes a mental comparison between Kakashi's hair and a dandelion puff.

"While you two finish up with that, I'm going to get some hot chocolate started. When you're done, how about you put the towels up to dry out a bit and meet me in the kitchen? Kakashi can show you where to go, Gai. "

Gai barely even registers the fact that Sakumo remembers his name, instead nodding his agreement as the man disappears around the corner into the next room. Hot chocolate sounds really good right about now, actually, and the prospect of having a warm drink in hand leads him to focus on drying off the rest of the way. He and Kakashi finish around the same time and he sort of shuffles in place for a moment, waiting to be led deeper into the unfamiliar house.

Kakashi, for one, is almost as lost as Gai himself on what to do or say next. He's never had anyone over before, and it looks like Gai intends to follow him around like a list puppy for the duration of his visit. With that thought in mind, he decides that if it's anything like that then he at least has a _little_ experience. Just... move forward and keep track of him so he doesn't end up getting lost, right?

"Come on," he prompts, bundling his damp towel into a ball before proceeding toward the laundry room. Gai, as expected, falls in line behind him and mimics the action to keep his towel from dragging on the floor. Kakashi leads him to the place where they do their laundry, a room with a short clothes line strung up from one wall to the other. It's too high up for him to reach without a step ladder, but luckily this is where they tend to keep theirs while it isn't being used.

Kakashi clambers up onto the first step, then the second, his towel clutched under one arm. Gai watches him stand up straight while preparing to throw the towel up and over the line. When he does so, the line sags several inches with the weight of its new burden and for a moment Gai thinks that one of the ends is at risk of coming untethered from the wall, but it holds fast. Kakashi, without batting an eye, holds his hand out for Gai's towel and tosses that up as well.

With that out of the way, they both move into the kitchen to join Sakumo and for Kakashi to formally make his request. The man has their kettle going for the hot chocolate and is sipping at a cup of what's most likely tea while waiting for the boys to show up. When they do, he drains the last of his drink and sets his cup down on the counter.

"We were just finishing our sparring match when it started to rain, and Gai lives all the way on the other side of the village from the training grounds. So we came here together, or else he would have had to walk home in-" A peal of thunder rumbles in the sky, shaking the house slightly with its sheer force. "In _that_ _.  _ Could he call his dad to let him know where he is?"

"I don't see why not. Do you know your phone number, Gai?" Gai nods silently and Sakumo smiles, still a little caught off guard by the fact that Kakashi actually brought someone home with him. However, this is his son's first time bringing a friend home and he intends to do what he can to encourage a repeat occurrence. "Go ahead and give him a call to let him know that it's fine for you to stay until the rain stops, or until he'd like for you to be home."

Kakashi sits at the table while he waits for an update on the situation. He wasn't really thinking this far ahead when he made the initial offer of shelter to Gai, and now he's faced with the very real possibility that he might be expected to entertain him for several hours. Before he's able to come up with any sort of real plan, Gai comes from the kitchen to sit at the table across from him.

"He's talking to your dad, but I guess there's another flash flood warning that just went up over near our house, so he thinks that it might be safer for me to stay put for right now. He might get called in to help if anyone needs it, too. There aren't that many people who live over by us, and the ones that do are all pretty far apart, so it can take longer to get help out there than it would for someone who lives with a lot of people around."

Kakashi nods, not sure how else to respond. Shortly thereafter, Sakumo enters the room with a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. He sets one down in front of his son and moves to give the other to Gai, but pulls it back toward him just before it makes contact with the table.

"You aren't lactose intolerant, are you?" When Gai shakes his head no, Sakumo relaxes a bit and sets the mug down in front of his son's guest. "Well, it sounds like the rain might be coming down like this for a while, but he told me that he'll call once he's able to drop by. Until then, you're welcome to stay. Any allergies I should know about before I end up feeding you something I shouldn't?"

"Just pollen when it gets really bad, but I think that's it."

"Well, I don't think we should have any problems, then. I don't plan on putting out any floral centerpieces, but if that changes I'll be sure to give you a heads up." Sakumo looks from Gai to Kakashi and suggests, "Once you're done with your drinks, maybe you could show him your room, Kakashi. I have a few more things to so around the house, and dinner is still a few hours off from even being started. I'm sure the two of you could find something to occupy yourselves with until then - something that hopefully doesn't involve weapons, perhaps?"

The last bit is added on as an afterthought as he recalls one time that his son was confined to the house because of a pretty intense snowstorm and decided that he didn't like having to wait to continue training. Turns out that if you throw kunai at a paper target taped to your wall, they tend to leave behind some pretty noticeable notches when removed. He'd rather they play something like hide and seek, or even tag - anything that won't leave a permanent mark on the house, really.

Kakashi, who's been taking sips of his hot chocolate unnoticed while Sakumo was speaking, balks slightly at the idea of bringing someone else into his room. It's not like it's messy or anything - he's as tidy as a five year old can really be. It's more so the concept of allowing someone new into the one place in the house that is meant to be his. It's where all of his personal belongings are kept, where he sleeps, where he goes if he feels like he just needs to be alone for a bit. He's never really thought of it as the kind of place where he might entertain a guest.

Then again, he never really thought he'd have many guests to entertain in the first place. Anyone who's ever shown interest in trying to befriend him until this point has been more or less rebuffed from day one. He's still not super keen on Gai's attempts, but in putting up with them he's started becoming used to it and almost expecting the other boy's presence in his day to day life. Maybe this is just another thing that will take some getting used to?

"Hm." Kakashi gives his father a noncommittal hum, returning his attention to his drink. He definitely doesn't miss Gai's curious gaze passing over his bare face and resists the urge to cover it back up. He's worn the mask since he was very young, mostly as a way to dull the heightened sense of smell he inherited from his mother's side of the family, so it always feels a bit strange to have people stare at him whenever he has occasion to lower it. Luckily, Gai seems to remember his manners in a timely fashion and suddenly develops a fascination with his own mug.

Before long, both of them have finished their hot chocolate and Sakumo shoos them into the kitchen to rinse their cups out before heading off to Kakashi's room. Gai, for his part, is being uncharacteristically quiet throughout most of the process, only occasionally commenting on some fixture in the house. Kakashi, begrudgingly, comes to the realization that despite all the times he's wished up until now that Gai could even briefly display the ability to sit in silence, finally having the wish granted is doing absolutely nothing to put his mind at ease. He wonders for a moment if Gai's just overwhelmed at being thrust into an unfamiliar setting with so little warning or if he really doesn't want to be here and is just too polite to come out and say anything.

Kakashi seriously doubts that it would be the latter, actually - he doesn't really believe that Gai has the ability to hide his emotions as smoothly as that since he seems more like the type to wear them on his sleeve.

With nothing left to use as a method of stalling, Kakashi dries his hands on a dish towel next to the sink before beckoning for Gai to follow him to his room. Gai does so obediently, looking around at framed pictures and other decorations all the while. Upon seeing that his door is slightly ajar, Kakashi pauses briefly with his hand raised in preparation to open it. Then, a thought flashes through his mind and he steps aside, gesturing toward the door.

"After you."

Gai brings his full attention back to Kakashi and he takes a moment to catch up to what's just been said. Once he has, however, his usual bright, enthusiastic smile makes a reappearance at the concept of being admitted to Kakashi's room before even its occupant enters. Without a moment's hesitation, he opens the door all the way and takes a step forward while Kakashi takes one back.

Sure enough, as soon as the door makes even the smallest sound, several dogs erupt in a flurry of activity and excitement from the pile of blankets they've been nesting in. They charge toward the stranger who's just approached their domain, corralling Gai back into the hall with the intensity of their investigation. Kakashi, who was expecting Gai to react with at least some small amount of surprise at the attack, instead watches as a look of delight spreads across Gai's face - not the usual reaction one might have when suddenly finding themself half-buried in _vicious_ ninja hounds.

Uhei rolls over happily to let Gai scratch his tummy and Bull attempts to live down on Gai's now prone form. _Good job, guys. Glad to know I can count on you to keep potential intruders away..._

"That tickles!" Gai exclaims as Pakkun at least gives one of Gai's leg warmers an experimental nibble. Kakashi is pleased when they disperse with almost no backtalk once he gives them the signal for 'drop it', trampling over each other on their way back into the room. No longer held down by the full force of Kakashi's pack, Gai clambers to his feet, brushing himself off a bit.

"For someone who just got ambushed, you don't seem too upset." Kakashi walks into his room behind the dogs, expecting that Gai will follow. His assumption proves to be correct as Gai is passing through the doorway by the time he reaches his bed and turns around. The boy is fixing his hair and looking just as upbeat as usual - it seems that this was just what he needed to bring him back to his default setting.

"I'm not. I've just never been around many dogs, and not more than one at a time. We can't have most pets with fur because my Papa's allergic to them. I really like dogs, though. All the ones I've ever met were really friendly!" Gai launches into a story about this time when he encountered a stray at the park and played with it until Dai came to pick him up, all while looking around Kakashi's room. He stands mostly in one place, as one might be inclined to do when visiting someone's house for the first time.

Kakashi follows Gai's line of sight as he talks, eventually finding it set upon a particular notebook sitting out after a few recipe additions made earlier today. B efore he can ask, Kakashi casually picks it up and slips it into the drawer of his nightstand under the guise of simply tidying up, being sure to do the same with a few other items lying on the small desk pushed up against one wall. When he's done, he slides the drawer closed and takes a breath, preparing himself to deal with whatever Gai thinks they should do with the time remaining until dinner because he personally has no idea where to go from here. Kakashi turns to face Gai, doing his best to behave as he thinks would be appropriate for having someone over for the first time - the last thing he wants is for Sakumo to reprimand him for somehow upsetting their guest.

_Maybe I can just get by letting him and the dogs wear each other out for the next few hours..._

* * *

Between using the ninken as a social buffer and letting Gai talk almost endlessly about whatever thoughts pop randomly into his head, Kakashi manages to weather a couple hours of social interaction. It isn't too bad, honestly, as Gai's good at carrying a conversation almost entirely by himself and doesn't seem to mind Kakashi's tendency to be fairly quiet for the most part. That, and the dogs _do_ seem to be enjoying all the extra attention. The only concern Kakashi really has is that Gai definitely seems to be intent on spoiling them while he's here, which might not be entirely helpful in regards to Kakashi training them to follow his orders. At this rate, he might have to completely change tactics and start promising them extra affection and praise in exchange for their respect.

This is known as bribery in some circles, but hey - sometimes you just have to go with whatever works.

While Gai's in the middle of rubbing Bull's tummy for the umpteenth time and talking about when he fell into the river while running from a swarm of wasps whose nest he accidentally disturbed, Sakumo raps gently on the door and pokes his head gently into the room. All of the dogs are currently sprawled out around Gai in various stages of slumber except for Pakkun, who's taking this rare opportunity to claim the entire bed as his own. Sakumo takes in the scene and nods to himself as though impressed by the display.

"If you both think that you can manage to escape without causing too much of an uproar, would you still be interested in helping with dinner? I could always use an extra pair of hands or two for making onigiri while I take care of the miso soup."

Gai's eyes light up at the sound of this and he looks over to Kakashi, instantly setting off warning bells in the other boy's head - Kakashi thinks that he might almost be developing a sixth sense for when Gai's about to propose a challenge to him. Sure enough, Gai opens his mouth and asks, "How good are you at making rice balls?"

This is how Kakashi finds himself roped into their third competition of the day, meticulously molding rice into uniform triangles alongside Gai while Sakumo puts the finishing touches on a lot of miso soup. Now, Kakashi's made shio-musubi (plain\salt-only rice balls) several times before and up until tonight thought that he was pretty good at it. However, watching Gai flying through his half of the rice like it's nothing definitely gives him cause to reconsider - Gai doesn't even end up with any rice stuck to his hands by the time he's done whereas Kakashi keeps having to fix little imperfections in his creations where a part has come off when he set it down and pulled his hands away.

Sakumo, having been designated as the judge for this competition before he had a chance to accept or decline, watches with raised eyebrows as the boys each present their selection of onigiri to him. Kakashi has taken more time to refine his, but in the end it looks like they've both managed to produce an equal number of similar quality. Since they both used the same base materials, taste shouldn't necessarily be a category for him to take into consideration, but who is he to turn down food that they both out work and care into? Instead of judging their results just yet, he asks them to put the food on the table and take their seats until he brings the soup in.

By the time he approaches the table with their main course in hand, Sakumo finds Gai and Kakashi seated and patiently waiting for him. Their expectant gazes settle on him and for a moment it almost feels like he's on trial for something. Children watching you do most anything can be a bit strange, and having them wait for you to judge their cooking is no different. Honestly he'd prefer not to, but they asked and he doesn't want to be rude. Hoping that he can honestly call it a tie them coax them into just eating dinner, he sits down and places the pot of soup toward the middle of the table.

Seeing that there's likely no way he can get out of this without an adamant refusal, Sakumo decides to get this over with and selects one of Kakashi's rice balls to start. These look like they're holding together well enough despite the bit of difficulty Kakashi was having while making them. He bites into one, leaning forward quickly as a cluster of rice breaks away and drops onto his plate. Aside from being a little messy to eat, it's as good as any other rice ball that he can remember having in the past. At the very least it's a step up from some previous attempts made in this house.

Sakumo follows with a bite from one of Gai's onigiri and is pleasantly surprised by the consistency and overall flavor. Honestly it's sort of a wonder how these are really any different from Kakashi's when he's pretty sure the only real change in his preparation seemed to be the amount of time he took to form them and that he rinsed his hands briefly before each one. Maybe a slightly heavier sprinkle of salt? However, he schools his expression away from surprise and into one of relative neutrality with practiced ease to deliver his verdict.

"They both came out really well, and don't taste all _that_ different-" Before he can get much further with his analysis he notices the unimpressed look his son seems to be sending his way and smiles sheepishly, realizing that Kakashi doesn't really care for the idea of a draw. "Both taste great, but if I have to pick then ... I think I have to give it to Gai."

For a couple of seconds both boys look at him in quiet disbelief, Gai at the fact that he won and Kakashi at the fact that he lost.

Kakashi scowls slightly, picking up one of the rice balls from Gai's side of the serving plate to observe it as Sakumo starts saying something about not letting the food get cold and Gai tucks in with renewed vigor in light of his first success. Surely there's no way such a simple thing could taste that different from the one he made himself, right? There isn't exactly much room for variation in this recipe, and he doesn't remember seeing Gai add any unusual spices or anything. However, when he actually tastes it the difference is pretty clear. For a moment he sits there puzzling over what could have happened there. It just doesn't make sense, does it?

Kakashi has too much pride to ever accept a biased judgement from his father but... _wow_ _.  _ Challenged and ultimately _defeated in his own home. Et tu, Sakumo?_

The rest of dinner mostly consists of Sakumo asking Gai for more details about how his and Kakashi's training has been going thus far since his son has neglected to tell him much beyond the fact that they've been working together at all. Kakashi answers as prompted, once in a while speaking up to 'correct' one of Gai's claims or provide extra context so Sakumo can have the full picture more or less. Sakumo being involved in the conversation is both a blessing and a curse for Kakashi because while a lot of the pressure is taken off of him to speak, it's being directed towards inquiries _about_ him from Sakumo, which Gai seems all too happy to answer to the best of his ability.

Just as everyone's finishing their food and preparing to bring their dishes into the kitchen, there comes a knock at the door. Gai looks over in the middle of downing his last bite of food and for a moment reminds Kakashi of the way a puppy might react to the concept of a guest arriving - he sits up straighter, alert and brimming with curiosity. It's almost kind of cute in a way.

"That must be your dad," Sakumo guesses, standing to go and see if that's actually the case. "Gai, go ahead and put your dishes in the sink - Kakashi and I can take care of them if you're about to be heading home."

"Okay!" Gai scurries off to the kitchen with Kakashi following to put his own dishes in as well. Sakumo chuckles quietly in response to the boy's enthusiasm and goes to answer the door. When it opens, he finds Maito Dai standing in the rain holding a large umbrella over his head. It looks like he got soaked at one point or another if the dark hair plastered to his forehead is anything to go by, but the umbrella is currently doing a decent job at keeping it from getting any worse.

"Ah, please come in," Sakumo says, stepping aside to let Dai enter the house. As far as he can tell, the rain is still coming down just as hard as it was when Gai and Kakashi arrived earlier with no signs of slowing down or stopping any time soon. Dai, for one, appears grateful to be out of it as he closes his umbrella and sidles past Sakumo through the doorway. However, he declines to move much deeper into the house, dripping a fair amount of water onto the worn doormat rather than tracking it everywhere. "Gai should be ready shortly - we just finished eating."

"Thank you." Dai dips his head appreciatively as he tucks his umbrella under one arm for the time being. "I hope this whole thing hasn't inconvenienced you in any way. I would have been here sooner but-"

"Oh, no! It's perfectly alright - Gai was a big help with dinner, actually, and I think that having him over has been good for Kakashi. Besides, it sounded like you had some important things to take care of." Sakumo closes the door to keep out the chill brought by this downpour and attempts to make a bit of small talk with Dai while they wait for his son to make an appearance.

"I ended up going over to help some of our neighbors - with all this rain recently, there have been multiple flash flood warnings issued for the area. There are a few farms out by us that were badly affected, animals getting stranded on high ground or spooked by thunder to the point where they ran off, and a lot of the buildings on those properties have been standing for well over half a century, so they're bound to leak from time to time. However, with the combined efforts of myself and several other people, we managed to round up all the livestock and patch about eighty-five percent of the holes and weak spots in people's house and barn roofs."

"You really went up on a roof in this weather?" Sakumo marvels at Dai's statement as a clap of thunder rumbles overhead. A storm like this isn't something to be trifled with, definitely posing a significant risk of life and limb to anyone brave or stupid enough to venture out into it. He shakes his head with a look of disbelief. "You know, the village probably would have sent some people out to help once the rain let up, or at least by tomorrow morning."

"Probably," Dai agrees with a smile, "but by then there would likely be a few less sheep and cows to save and further roof damage, maybe even a section that collapsed in. I was already nearby and while I may still only be ranked as a Genin, I figured that some assistance from any shinobi would do a lot of good when things were at their worst. I've always been the type to jump right in whenever I see someone who looks like they could use a helping hand, so that's what I did."

Before Sakumo can get any sort of response out, Gai comes running down the hall to leap into Dai's arms. Once he realizes that his father's soaking wet he tries to squirm away, but it's too late - he's already caught up in a tight hug with little hope of escape. He laughs and pushes away from Dai's chest as much as he can, which isn't much. "Papa, you're all wet!"

"Oh, really?" Dai says, feigning surprise and looking down at his drenched clothes as if seeing them for the first time. He grins and squishes his damp face against Gai's cheek, transferring as much water from his mustache to his son as possible while the boy scrunches his face up in mock disgust. "I hadn't noticed!"

"Papa, can Kakashi come over to our house some time?" Gai stops trying to get away in favor of posing his question, hope shining in his eyes at the idea of possibly having his friend over in the future. "I could show him my room, and the garden and the pond!"

"I don't see why not," Dai replies, readjusting Gai in his arms so he can free a hand up to open the umbrella once they head out. He looks to Sakumo and asks, "Would you like our phone number? I can write it down for you if-"

"I wrote it on a sticky note for Kakashi," Gai says matter-of-factly, producing a small square of paper and holding it out to Sakumo who takes it with a smile. It's one from a pad of them that sits on the counter in their kitchen for notes, reminders, and important contact information. Gai's handwriting is legible enough for the numbers to be easily recognizable, so this should work well. Now he just might have to convince Kakashi to actually use it sometime.

"Give me just a moment so I can write ours down for you and put this up by the phone. I'll be right back." Sakumo walks into the kitchen where Kakashi is already working on cleaning his and Gai's dishes at the sink, up to his elbows in soapy water. "Aren't you going to go see Gai off? It's usually good manners when your friend is leaving."

"We already said bye before he left the kitchen," Kakashi replies, watching Sakumo stick Gai and Dai's phone number next to the phone on the wall. "My hands are all wet and I'm already working on these - I don't want to have to dry my hands of I'm only going to be getting them wet again in two minutes."

Sakumo shakes his head with a small grin as he writes down their number on another note to give Dai and leaves Kakashi to his work. He hands it off to Dai, who accepts it gratefully with an amicable smile and turns to open the door. A chill wind blows outside as he opens the umbrella, but neither he nor his son look like it bothers them. He looks back over his shoulder and says, "Wish us luck, and I'll see you around."

With that, Dai and Gai head out into the night, laughing and smiling in spite of the storm that buffets them with wind and rain. Sakumo watches them depart until a particularly strong gust of wind drives him back inside. He returns to the kitchen and catches Kakashi's eye after a moment, wearing a teasing grin that Kakashi really doesn't trust - it looks entirely too similar to Tsunade's for his liking. When she gives that look it almost never leads to good things for him and he doesn't expect this time to be any different.

"So... Gai really enjoys cooking, does he?"

* * *

Kakashi sits at the table, watching his father scurry from room to room in an attempt to find his house keys. Usually he's pretty good about leaving them on the hook by the front door, but every once in a while it just sort of slips his mind - most often when he comes home late and barely has enough energy left to make it to his bed or if he returns to find the dogs and/or his son engaged in something they shouldn't be that demands his immediate attention. He's been looking for almost ten minutes now since receiving a call from the hospital with no luck.

"Ah," Sakumo remarks, accepting his keys graciously from Bull as the large dog deposits them at his feet. They _are_ covered in a generous amount of drool, but it's nothing that a quick rinse in the sink can't fix and certainly not the most off-putting thing he's ever had to deal with. Now that his mind isn't quite so preoccupied with finding the keys, he suddenly remembers that his son is sitting patiently in anticipation of some more details on the current situation and sends him an apologetic glance while turning the water on to warm up for a moment. "I'm sorry, Kakashi, what were you saying?"

"Why was the hospital calling?" Kakashi, who was just finishing his lunch when the call came in, pokes the last dumpling lightly with his chopsticks and nudges it from one side of his plate to the other. He can't remember the last time they got a call from the hospital but as far as he knows it was one that delivered the news that his mother had been admitted and likely wouldn't last the night. "Is everything okay?"

" I... don't know yet. But it's nothing for you to be concerned about, so... " Sakumo seems to reconsider this statement for a few seconds before turning the water back off and setting his now clean keys down on the counter. "I'm going down there to visit Tsunade for a while. She isn't hurt, but something bad happened to Dan on this last mission. Tsunade is pretty upset, so one of the people she sometimes works with down at the hospital called to let me know what's going on. I just want to talk to her and make sure she's alright."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Kakashi sets his chopsticks down, giving Sakumo his full, undivided attention now. It's not uncommon for shinobi to take an occasional trip to the hospital, but for Tsunade to be in such a state of shock that one of her co-workers would think to call someone on her behalf it must really be serious.

"I think it might be better to hold off on that until I have the chance to talk to her first. I was going to ask you if you'd be alright with holding down the fort while I'm out?" It wouldn't take someone with Sakumo’s level of perception to notice Kakashi's change in posture and overall demeanor and deduce that he's disappointed by this answer. However, he really does think it's for the best that Kakashi sit this one out - he doesn't know how Tsunade's going to react to anyone trying to comfort her right now, but if she handles it similarly to how she took her brother's death, it could turn into a less than pretty situation.

On the other hand, he _does_ feel kind of bad for having to leave Kakashi home alone yet again while he heads over to the hospital without knowing how long he might be gone for. It shouldn't be more than a few hours at most, but that's still a long time to a child; even one as disciplined and patient as Kakashi. He'd tell his son to head down to the park and find someone to pass the time with if he thought there was even the slimmest chance that he might be taken up on the offer, but that idea sparks another one with a higher chance of being considered for at least a few seconds.

"Why don't we give Gai's house a call to see if he's free to hang out until I get home? I'd feel a lot better knowing you had someone to talk to for a few hours instead of just sitting here with not much to do except look after the dogs." He picks their phone up off the receiver and starts scanning the multiple sticky notes pinned to a corkboard on the wall nearby. One of them still has Gai and Dai's phone number on it from the boy's first and (thus far) only visit to the house a couple weeks ago.

"I mean, it's not like I've never done it before. I have enough training exercises to keep me busy for the rest of the day." Despite his weak excuses, Kakashi declines to offer further protest as Sakumo looks to him for a more concrete refusal and seemingly resigns himself to his fate as the number is dialled and the line starts to ring. It probably won't be the _worst_ thing to hang out with Gai for a while again, especially when the alternative is to sit in the house like he's done so many times in the past. The nininken can handle themselves for a day, right?

Sakumo waits patiently as the line rings once, twice, three times. Just as he's beginning to think that no one's going to pick up the call, it stops and he hears Maito Dai's voice crackling slightly on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Ah, hello!" Sakumo smiles reflexively even though Dai has no way of knowing that and leans against the counter a bit. Talking on the phone with someone is like talking to them face to face except you don't have any body language or facial expressions to read - you have to gauge how the person's feeling by the sound of their voice alone. To Sakumo, it kind of sounds like Dai might've been in the middle of something when the call came through. "It's Sakumo Hatake, Kakashi's father. I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

"Not at all!" Dai switches the phone from one ear to the other, judging by the slight rustling sound, and seems to be dusting his hands off as well. "I was just outside when I heard it start ringing, so it took me a second before I could pick it up. What can I do for you?"

"I was about to head out for a while and thought I'd ask if Gai is busy today." Not wanting to dump a long-winded explanation on a man he's met only twice, Sakumo decides to give a shortened, sort of simplified version of the situation at hand. "Something just sort of popped up that might take up to several hours to deal with, so I thought Kakashi might prefer spending time with him over staying home - if it was an option."

Dai hums in thought before replying, "Well, Gai's agreed to help me out in the garden today, and it might be a while before we're finished. However, you're more than welcome to drop him off on your way if that's something you'd be comfortable with. He can stay for dinner if your business ends up running late."

"I'd appreciate that very much." Sakumo I feels a minor amount of relief wash over him at hearing Dai agree to let Kakashi visit, thinking that this will be a good experience for him. He's never been to a friend's house before, but this seems to be as good of an excuse as any to sort of nudge him gently in the right direction. "I'll be leaving within the next few minutes, if that sounds okay?"

"Alright, we'll be around the back, so you can just head around the side of the house when you get there. Ah," Dai remarks quietly as though he's just had a realization, "you probably need directions, don't you?"

"That might be helpful. Thank you." While he jots down the directions Dai's giving him for future reference, Sakumo uses one hand to cover the receiver and quietly tells Kakashi to go and grab his coat and whatever else he intends to bring with him. It's been getting colder and colder outside as the end of the year creeps ever nearer, and snow has become a distinct possibility. Sure, you might still occasionally catch the odd person wearing a lighter jacket or even just a long-sleeved shirt in an attempt to deny the inevitable, but Sakumo has never counted himself among them - he's more likely to be caught breaking out his favorite sweater by the end of an unseasonably cool August.

Sakumo’s just hanging up the phone and by the time Kakashi returns wearing a rather puffy dark blue coat that's still just a little too big for him, but he'd be hard-pressed to give it up in favor of anything else. He also has his favorite pale green scarf wrapped snuggly around his neck and shoulders. Sakumo isn't the only one who tends to shun the cold in this family, and Sakumo gives him a smile of approval.

"Looking good. Do you have everything?" Kakashi exaggerates his affirmative nod so that it's noticeable even with the scarf obscuring approximately half of his head. Sakumo looks past his son to where about half the dogs are watching from the end of the hall that leads to his and Kakashi's bedrooms. "You all know how to get out if you guys need to. Don't cause any trouble while we're away, alright?"

None of them make any promises, one by one turning to slink back to wherever they've chosen to hole up for the day. Bull is the last one left sitting there like maybe if he waits long enough he might be selected to go with one of them. Sakumo scratches the top of the dog's head as he and Kakashi pass, purposefully avoiding the borderline pleading look he's being given. The dogs know something's wrong, but he can't exactly drag any of them down to the hospital with him or dump them into Maito Dai's lap along with his son. They'll just have to hold down the fort on their own for a while and trust that everything will ultimately turn out okay.

Sakumo and Kakashi slip on their shoes and head out, being greeted immediately by a strong gust of wind that ruffles their hair as Sakumo pauses to lock the door behind them. Briefly consulting the paper he's written Dai's instructions down on, he turns left down the street with his son's hand in his own and gets going. It doesn't seem like it will be difficult to find despite being a fair distance removed from the main body of the village, though Dai seemed to be very thorough with his list of landmarks so who knows?

To the man's credit, they only come even close to getting lost once along the way. Sakumo can't say that he entirely agrees with the man's claim that the knot on this tree looks like a cat, but it's safe to assume this is the one he was talking about when it seems to fit the other descriptions that were given. Plus, it _is_ right next to the start of a slightly overgrown forest path that probably leads somewhere, so it's more of an educated guess than it would be otherwise. He nudges a broken branch aside, probably knocked down during one of the recent storms, and gently tugs Kakashi's hand as a sign that this is the way they're going now.

Within five minutes of setting off down the trail, Sakumo and Kakashi emerge into a wide open clearing with an aging but sturdy house smack dab in the middle of it. After setting his eyes on the structure, Kakashi glances up at Sakumo with mild uncertainty. He receives a reassuring squeeze of his hand in response and half listens as Sakumo says something about how he's sure this whole thing will turn out to be a lot of fun for him.

Just as Dai said over the phone, he and Gai are working in a screened-in garden out back when their visitors come around the side of the house. It looks like they're bringing some of the plants inside, likely to spare them from the first frost which is sure to hit any day now. As soon as Gai sees them approaching he breaks out in that signature bright smile and waves with one hand while using the other to cradle a planter pot housing some kind of recently uprooted flower. His gloves are caked in dark soil, and he has a streak or two across his face where he probably scratched an itch without thinking.

Dai seems to notice that his son's stopped transporting the plant inside before he actually notices the new arrivals, but once he spots the two he stands, raises a hand in greeting, and starts removing his gloves. As Sakumo and his son approach, he extends one hand for a handshake while Gai drags Kakashi over to the garden for a full tour, which Sakumo accepts after a brief moment of surprise. They've only met twice now, and neither of those encounters really lasted long enough to talk all that much, yet the man greets him in a way you might greet a good friend. Looks like another thing he and his son have in common, and Sakumo finds it simultaneously refreshing and a little disarming.

"Glad to see that you two made it alright! I was a little worried that the road might've been blocked off with all the storms we've been having lately - it's been a few days since either of us went into the village with everything we've been doing to get this old place ready for winter. I trust you didn't have too much trouble finding your way here? There aren't exactly a lot of road signs out this way, but I tried. "

"Not at all," Sakumo replies honestly. "Your directions were very helpful along the way. Thank you, again, for this. I know it was little short notice, and I -"

"Please, don't be concerned! You didn't hesitate to watch over Gai until we could be reunited, so this is the least I could do to repay you for that. Besides, this way these two can still spend more time together even with Gai's responsibilities here. It might even serve to motivate him to work more efficiently if he has a friend waiting for him to finish his tasks. Can I get you something to drink before you have to head off to take care of business? "

"Thank you for the offer. Unfortunately, I think I have to decline - this might be a time sensitive task, to be honest."

"Another time, then," Dai offers, leaving it as an open invitation for the future. "You have the number if there are any surprises that pop up, so don't hesitate to check in, though as I mentioned earlier it might take a little bit longer than usual for anyone to answer. Good luck, and know that Kakashi is welcome here for however long your task requires your attention."

Dai punctuates his declaration with a smile and a thumbs up, which does manage to make Sakumo feel at least a little bit more confident about the situation as a whole. Before leaving, he motions for Kakashi to return to his side for a moment. His son leaves Gai standing amongst a cluster of several flower pots on the opposite side of the garden and approaches while Dai goes back to Gai (both to give them a bit of privacy to talk and to deliver the next set of instructions to his own son.)

"Alright, Kakashi. " Sakumo puts a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, then the top of his head, smiling as best as he can in spite of the task that lies ahead of him. "I don't think I should have to remind you to behave yourself for Dai, but I will. Play nice, okay? And maybe consider lending them a helping hand. It looks like they have a lot of work to do. I'll be back later. Try to have fun, pup."

With that, Sakumo ruffles Kakashi's hair and turns to leave. Kakashi soon finds himself alone with Gai and Dai in the garden and has to make himself turn back around to join them. As soon as he does, he's confronted by the fact that his father was right - there  _ does  _ seem to be a fair amount of work left to get through here. Not only are they moving some of their plants inside, they're also planting some winter-safe vegetables such as winter lettuce and radishes. He looks around briefly before deciding to speak up.

"Is there anything you could use some help with?" Kakashi asked, shuffling his feet idly at the edge of a grow bed. It's not really like he _wants_ to take part in this whole thing - he just finds it preferable to the idea of standing around doing absolutely nothing while Gai and Dai are both hard at work. And hey, maybe he'll discover something new about himself along the way? What if he's harboring a secret talent for gardening and ends up really enjoying it? At least, that sounds like something his dad might say to try and get him more interested in it.

"Another pair of hands are always welcome! I think we have an extra pair of gloves around here somewhere that should do the trick. I'll take a look and be right back. I'm the meantime, why don't you two get started planting the carrots? The holes are already done, so you can drop the seeds in, Kakashi, and Gai can cover them up." Dai deposits an open packet of seeds into Kakashi's hands before standing upright and heading toward a smaller building adjacent to the house that probably serves as a storage shed by the looks of it.

"Alright!" Gai says, determination sparkling in his eyes. "Kakashi, I bet we could have all the carrots planted by the time Papa gets back if we tried. How about it?"

Kakashi looks from the pack of seeds in his hand to Gai and then to the series of shallow holes that have been hollowed out in a stretch of dirt in one of the raised beds. This certainly isn't how he imagined his day would play out when he woke up this morning, but it's not so bad. Still, he silently wonders why Gai seems to be interested in turning just about anything into some kind of competition. Can't they just... put the seeds in the dirt in a calm and orderly fashion..?

The thought doesn't stop him from going along with Gai's suggestion, though, and by the time Dai's returned with the gloves the two have gone through the entire pack of seeds and started on a batch of radishes. Dai smiles at the sight - the presentation isn't perfect, but at least they're having fun. He doesn't feel the need to course correct just yet. He'll save that for later, when they end up getting into a minor disagreement and start throwing fistfuls of loose potting soil at each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bro it's been literally three months since i posted for this but i swear i'm still running with it. quarantine just got me messed up is all. stay safe everybody


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